


1+1 = 6 (and yes, i'm counting the dog)

by the11thTARDIS



Series: We'll figure it out as we go. [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Artist Castiel, Asperger Syndrome, Autistic Castiel, Awesome Gabriel, Bittersweet, Castiel Has Aspergers, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Depression, F/F, F/M, Family Drama, Famous Castiel, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Kid Fic, M/M, Making Out, Married Life, Mechanic Dean, Minor Character Death, Naked Castiel, Naked Dean, Naomi Being a Dick, Non-Explicit Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Lisa Braeden/Dean Winchester, Past Relationship(s), Protective Dean Winchester, Road Trips, TW meltdowns, Tags Are Hard, Uncle Castiel, Uncle Dean, Verbal Abuse, Writer Castiel, Writer Chuck, i'm not killing Cas or Dean, michael is an asshole, parenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-31
Updated: 2017-03-27
Packaged: 2018-05-10 18:13:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 27
Words: 217,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5595895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the11thTARDIS/pseuds/the11thTARDIS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set 4 years after the epilogue of "the biggest problem in life is miscommunication." Cas and Dean have been married for 4 years now, they are very happy and live in a big house next to Bobby's. </p><p>This is the story of how Dean, Cas and the whole Novak/Winchester/Singer clan had to learn that life isn't always happy and that there's always a way to find light even in the darkest place. </p><p>(Or the one where a tragic accident turns Cas and Dean's life upside down and suddenly they have kids).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Jesus, Cas, you’re like the kid whisperer.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, i'm back! I was planning for this story to be short but I ended up writing a lot. I have 9 chapters written so far but I want to add art to them too. I wanted to post this today in case, like me, you're spending your new year's eve in front of a computer. 
> 
> This is a more serious fic, Cas and Dean are already married and trying not to fall in the monotony of marriage but at the same time trying to enjoy every minute they spend together because Cas is going back on book tours and now helping Chuck with the writing of their books. 
> 
> I had the idea for this story while I was writing the prequel and I have to admit that after I finished it I had to question myself if I really wanted to go on with this and kill some characters. This year life showed me that everything can change in a second and that we have to enjoy every minute of it; so based in that thought I decided to go on with my idea.
> 
> There's gonna be some drama and a lot of angst but also love and fluff and family, because at the end, that's how life works.
> 
> (NOTE: I changed the story from being set 3 years after the previous one to being set 4 years after because apparently I don't know how to do simple mathematical operations and it wasn't until I was writing down birthdays and all that Jazz that i realized that I had skipped a year! So, let's pretend this didn't happen and now everything should work fine... i'll be fixing the numbers in the chapters where they mention how long it has been but the story stays the same.)

* * *

 

Jully 9th

 

Cas opened the door of his house and walked in pulling his suitcase behind him; he entered the password for the alarm system and then closed the door. Right in that moment he could hear the sound of little paws running towards him; Nik barked and jumped in excitement when he saw Castiel.

 

“Hello, Nikola Tesla… did you miss me?” asked Cas. He walked towards the laundry room and placed the clothes that were in his suitcase into the washing machine. After starting the washer he walked to the kitchen and chugged a bottle of water,

 

“Chirst, I was thirsty,” he said almost out of breath. He grabbed a couple of cookies from the cookie jar (shaped like a TARDIS of course) and then he walked straight to the backyard.

 

Dean was still at work, he was expecting Cas to arrive the next morning and Cas didn’t want to bother him so he didn’t tell him that they had changed his flight.

Castiel took off his clothes (except for his boxer briefs) and he jumped into their Jacuzzi; it was pretty relaxing, especially because he was really tired after 4 days out of town. The convention had been great; he had enjoyed a lot talking to kids with autism and ASD to let them know that they could be successful and happy just like him; it had been different from comic conventions or book tours; people at the autism convention were just like him and they listened to his stories without judging him or feeling pity.

 

“Cas? Fuck, babe… you scared the crap out of me!” Said Dean walking towards the Jacuzzi.

 

“Oh, sorry… I forgot to set the alarm again; I was a little tired when I came home… I think I fell asleep, this thing is very relaxing, what time is it?” Asked Cas.

 

“1 pm… I’m supposed to be in my lunchtime but I forgot my phone here and I didn’t want you to worry in case you called and I didn’t answer,” said Dean; he was holding his phone in his hands.

 

“Sorry I scared you… they changed my flight and I didn’t want to bother you so I just took a cab… do you want to join me?” asked Cas.

 

“Hell yeah!” said Dean with a smirk; he placed his phone on his pocket. He took off his clothes as fast as he could; he was about to jump into the Jacuzzi when he remembered he was supposed to be working, “oh shit, wait,” he said. He grabbed his jeans from the floor and took his phone from the pocket then he proceeded to text Bobby.

 

“What are you doing?” asked Cas,

 

“Just letting the guys at the garage know that I’m taking the rest of the day,” said Dean. He threw his phone to the pile of clothes and then got into the Jacuzzi with Cas.

 

“Hi,” said Cas smiling. Dean leaned against him and pressed his lips to Cas’s; they kissed for a few seconds, tenderly and showing each other how much they’d missed being together.

 

“Hi,” said Dean when they finally stopped to take some air, “I missed you,”

 

“I missed you too,” said Cas.

 

“Cas?” asked Dean staring at his husband,

 

“Yes?” Asked Cas,

 

“Did you just get into the Jacuzzi in your underwear?” asked Dean.

 

“Umm… yes,” answered Cas.

 

“We need to changed that ASAP,” said Dean smirking, “here, let me help you,” he got on his knees and helped Cas to take off his boxers; Cas stood up and placed his left hand on Dean’s shoulder to have better support; they never stopped looking into each other’s eyes. Once Dean had gotten rid of Cas’s underwear he threw them away; the boxers landed a couple of feet away from Dean’s clothes.

 

“Better?” asked Cas,

 

“Hell yeah,” whispered Dean. Cas sat down again and pulled Dean into a passionate kiss. This time the kiss lasted more and soon Dean was leaning against his husband, rocking his hips against Cas’s,

 

“Dean…” said Cas out of breath,

 

“Yes babe?” asked Dean while placing little kisses on Cas’s neck.

 

“We should go upstairs if we’re going to have sex,” said Cas,

 

“Why?” asked Dean,

 

“I don’t want the neighbors to hear,” said Cas pushing Dean a little. Dean took a couple of deep breaths and then looked at Cas in the eye,

 

“Cas, you need to get over it… it was only once, and it wasn’t my fault man, that thing you can do with your tongue… Jesus,” said Dean.

 

“While I do appreciate the fact that you enjoy all my attempts to pleasure you… I don’t appreciate the fact that the neighbors can hear while that happens,” said Cas.

 

“If by neighbors you mean Bobby… he’s not home, remember? He’s at the garage… believe me, I don’t want my uncle/dad/boss to listen to me while I’m doing it… and Marcy is still on vacation… so we can be as loud as we want, no neighbors around,” said Dean.

 

“Well… in that case,” said Cas; he placed his arms around Dean’s neck and closed the distance between them with a kiss.

 

They were starting to get in the mood again; Cas ended up leaning on Dean this time. Dean opened his eyes to look at his husband but then he noticed something behind Cas,

 

“Wait… wait,” said Dean out of breath; he pushed Cas and sat up straight,

 

“What is it?” asked Cas a little confused,

 

“Nik is looking at us,” said Dean pointing behind Cas. Cas turned around to find his little dog standing by the edge of the Jacuzzi staring at them,

 

“Well, this is awkward,” said Cas laughing,

 

“Go away Nik… we’re kinda in the middle of something,” said Dean; he lifted his arm and pointed to the house; the movement made him splash some water but the little dog didn’t move,

                                                           

 

“He’s not going anywhere Dean, he missed me apparently,” said Cas; he changed his position and sat down next to Dean,

 

“Okay… he can watch then, I don’t care… where were we?” asked Dean,

 

“Dean, I don’t feel comfortable doing it in front of Nik,” said Cas,

“Oh, for fuck sake… Nik, man… I’m asking this as your friend… go away, go inside… man you can even sleep on the nice couch, I don’t care… just, we need some alone time,” said Dean trying to sound upset. The little dog just barked and kept staring at Dean; Cas just laughed.

 

“That’s it… you want to stay outside… be my guest… Cas, c’mon man… lets take this to the room,” said Dean; he stood up and helped Cas to stand up as well. Cas just snorted at Nik’s face of confusion and then helped Dean to pick up their stuff from the ground,

 

“You’ve got to admit that was funny,” said Cas following Dean into the house,

 

“Oh, hilarious…” said Dean rolling his eyes. They walked into their room and Dean jumped right into their huge bed, he didn’t even care that he was still wet from the water in the Jacuzzi, “please close the door, there’s only a number of times I can get interrupted before killing the mood,” he said.

 

“Oh, are you upset?” asked Cas,

 

“No, sorry,” said Dean trying to relax.

 

“That’s okay… I think I know a way to help you get rid of all that stress,” whispered Cas climbing into bed.

 

“Oh, really?” asked Dean with a smirk.

 

“Yes… do you want me to show you?” asked Cas placing a kiss on Dean’s chest.

 

“Man, if I ever say know to that…” said Dean,

 

“What?” asked Cas playfully,

“Crap, I can’t even think a decent answer,” replied Dean,

 

“And we haven’t event started yet,” said Cas.

 

“I love you,” said Dean,

 

“I love you too,” answered Cas.

* * *

 

 

Cas woke up a little after 5 pm feeling really hungry. He stood up careful not to wake up his husband and after putting on a pair of green pajama pants he walked downstairs.

 

Castiel was staring at the refrigerator contents when he heard Dean walking into the kitchen,

 

“There are some leftovers from dinner… lasagna in the red Tupperware,” said Dean leaning against the kitchen island.

 

“Great! I’ve been craving lasagna since Wednesday,” said Cas; he grabbed the red Tupperware from the fridge and then walked towards the microwave, “I’m starving,”

 

“Well after what we did a few hours ago, I don’t blame you… I feel like I could eat a freaking horse,” said Dean.

 

“Do you think the lasagna is enough for both of us?” asked Cas opening the fridge again after setting the microwave.

 

“There’s half a pie in the middle shelf and enough vegetables to make a decent salad.

 

“Okay,” said Cas opening the vegetables drawer, “we need to get some groceries tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

They sat in a comfortable silence at the TV room sharing their food and watching old episodes of adventure time.

 

“Jill called me this morning, they’re changing the birthday party for tomorrow instead of next week,” said Dean.

 

“Why?” asked Cas.

 

“Michael has a job interview in LA next weekend,” explained Dean.

 

“Wow… that’s great,” answered Cas.

 

“Yeah, I know… so I was thinking… tomorrow after breakfast at your dad’s we can go buy the presents for the twins, that okay?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes,” answered Cas after taking a swig from his juice, “does Jill need help with anything?” asked Cas.

 

“I don’t know, let me ask her,” said Dean; he grabbed his phone from the coffee table and texted Jill.

 

“I can’t believe the twins are already a year old,” said Cas.

 

“I know, they’re so big… I still remember when they were born, Jesus, they were so tiny… specially Alan,” said Dean.

 

“They look a lot like Mike,” said Cas.

 

“Except for the nose, they totally have Jill’s nose… and the eyes, they have your eyes,” said Dean smiling. Dean’s phone alerted him in that moment of an incoming text,

 

“Jill?” Asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, she says it would help a lot if we could take care of Tegan for a few hours tomorrow,” said Dean.

 

“She could help us pick the presents for the twins,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Yeah, she’ll love that,” answered Dean; he texted Jill back to let her know that they would help her.

 

“We should go to bed early, then,” said Cas after finishing his juice,

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Dean looking at his phone;

 

“ Okay, I’ll just put these in the dishwasher,” said Cas picking up their dishes and standing up.

 

“I’ll help you,” said Dean. They finished cleaning the TV room and then headed to the kitchen.

* * *

 

Jully 10th

 

“C’mon Cas, you can sleep in the car,” said Dean chuckling. Cas was sitting at the table with a cup of tea in front of him and he had his eyes closed.

 

“I miss my bed already,” said Cas.

 

“It’s the same thing every Saturday,” said Dean smiling, “c’mon, your family’s waiting for us,”

 

“It’s not the same every Saturday, when we have breakfast at Bobby’s I get to sleep until 8:30,” said Cas standing up.

 

“Yeah, but Bobby lives next door so that doesn’t count,” said Dean stretching his arm. Cas took Dean’s hand and followed him to the garage. Castiel climbed in the front seat as soon as he saw the impala and he was asleep again before Dean had even started the car.

* * *

 

“We’re here,” said Dean opening the front door of Chuck’s house. Cas was standing next to him and apparently the 15 minutes he managed to sleep in the car had helped to improve his mood.

 

Dean and Cas walked towards the kitchen following the noise of a group of people talking and the smell of bacon.

 

“Hi guys,” said Chuck, he was helping Tegan to mix the batter for the pancakes; Gabe was next to them frying bacon and giving instructions to Chuck.

 

“Hello Family,” said Dean smiling. Jill and Michael were both sitting at the table trying to feed the twins. Alan was sitting on Michael’s lap and Leonard was sitting on a high chair next to Jill.

 

“Good morning,” said Michael,

 

“Morning,” said Dean. Alan kept shaking his head and pushing Mike’s arm every time he tried to give him a piece of cantaloupe,

 

“How’s that going?” asked Dean,

 

“I’m about to offer him 5 dollars if he eats the freaking fruit,” said Mike, “please Al, eat the fruit… it’s good for you and it’s yummy… see? Len has already finished his,” Alan looked at his twin for a few seconds and then looked at Michael and shook his head again.

 

“Try with the grapes,” said Jill handing Mike a plate with grapes. Dean walked towards the coffeemaker, he poured himself a cup and then prepared tea for Cas. When he returned to the table Cas was sitting in front of Michael so Dean sat in front of Jill.

 

“So, ready for the party?” asked Dean handing his tea to Castiel.

 

“Yeah, we still have a lot to do … everything’s going to be perfect for this evening, it’s my boys’ first birthday,” said Jill smiling at Leonard who was now messily eating a small slice of apple.  

 

In the middle of the table there was a plate with fruit, Cas wasn’t a big fan of fruits but he liked watermelon and strawberries so he grabbed a strawberry and ate it happily while chatting with Jill.

 

“Who’s coming to the party?” Asked Cas,

 

“A few kids from the neighborhood, Charlie, Missouri, Bobby and Jody, Garth and his family, Benny and his son,” said Jill,

 

“Did you invite Naomi? Please tell me you didn’t,” said Gabe while pouring some batter into a pan.

 

“No, we didn’t … Jill hates mom too, remember?” said Michael.

 

“I don’t hate her… I just don’t like the way she thinks or how she always tries to tell me how to raise my kids or the fact that she keeps calling me Janice… it doesn’t even sound close to Jill,” said Jill.

 

“Oh, c’mon Jill, that’s what mother’s in law do, they tease their daughters in law a little,” said Michael,

 

“Mike, she literally said that I had forced you to marry me by getting pregnant and that you deserved better… in our wedding,” said Jill rolling her eyes.

 

“Oh, good times,” said Gabe.

 

Mike kept trying to justify his mother’s behavior and since Cas wasn’t in the mood to listen to Michael’s poor attempt to redeem Naomi, he started to zone out and somehow he ended up remembering the day of Mike and Jill’s wedding.

_Dean and Cas walked towards the table that had been assigned to the family of the groom; Bobby was already there, sitting between Jody and Charlie; Gabe and Chuck were sitting next to Charlie, and next to Jody they saw Sam and Jess._

_“Hi guys,” said Dean. Everybody waved at them and Cas sat between Dean and his father._

_They talked about how beautiful everything was and took a lot of pictures. Gabe told them every single detail about the cake and Charlie talked about Tegan’s beautiful dress; they were having a great time, until they heard a voice that broke their moment of happiness…_

_“Good afternoon,” said Naomi standing behind Dean,_

_“Naomi,” said Chuck giving a small nod. She sat down at the only empty place, next to Dean; she observed every person sitting at the table, a few of them were total strangers to her,_

_“I thought this table was assigned only to the family of the groom,” she said,_

_“Well, after you left Bobby helped me a lot with the kids, he’s like an uncle to them… if Michael assigned him this place it is because he wanted to,” answered Chuck with a serious expression._

_“Bobby Singer… oh, I remember you, you were our neighbor,” answered Naomi casually as if she hadn’t been rude to Bobby a few seconds before._

_“That’s right… it’s been a while Naomi,” answered Bobby trying to sound polite,_

_“Is this your wife?” asked Naomi looking at Jody,_

_“No, This is Jody Mills, my girlfriend,” said Bobby. Naomi nodded and smiled at Jody,_

_“Gabriel, is this young lady your girlfriend?” asked Naomi when she noticed Charlie sitting next to her son,_

_“No, She’s Bobby’s daughter… he knocked up a striper and he got to keep the baby once she was born,” answered Gabriel casually,_

_“Oh,” said Naomi; everybody at the table kept a serious expression so she didn’t know if Gabriel was joking, she kept looking at the people at the table, she ignored Chuck and Cas, but then she noticed the presence of a tall blond man with green eyes sitting next to her,_

_“And who are you?” she asked,_

_“Dean Winchester,” said Dean,_

_“Your name sounds familiar,” she said,_

_“I used to be your neighbor, Bobby is my uncle… that’s my brother Sam, he was your neighbor too…oh and his girlfriend Jess,” said Dean a little awkwardly,_

_“Oh right, I remember you… wow apparently this table is more for Bobby’s family than for the family of the groom,” she said laughing sarcastically while she looked around the table,_

_“Umm… actually, I’m here with Cas,” said Dean. Naomi gave Dean a big fake smile,_

_“Oh, you’re his friend too,” said Naomi rolling her eyes,_

_“Not really, I am …”_

_“Wait, wait…” said Gabe grabbing his phone and with a huge smile, “I need evidence of this moment,”_

_“Gabriel,” said Chuck and Cas at the same time. Naomi turned her attention to her ex husband and her youngest son,_

_“Naomi, I don’t think this is the right time to talk about…” started Chuck, but Cas interrupted him,_

_“I’m gay,” said Cas, “Dean and I …” Naomi placed her hands together and started to pray out loud ignoring Castiel’s words,_

_“I’m trying to tell you something here,” said Cas,_

_“Naomi, you’re making a scene,” said Gabe,_

_“I’m making a scene? Your brother just said to everyone in this table that he think’s he likes men, and I’m the one making a scene?” she asked,_

_“I didn’t say that I think I like men, I’m pretty sure about it, I’m gay… I’ve been gay my whole life and the only time I told you about it when I was a kid you hit me,” said Cas upset,_

_“Can we please leave this for another occasion? It’s Michael’s wedding,” said Bobby,_

_“Excuse me, but even if Michael sees you as his uncle you’re not part of this family, this isn’t your business,” said Naomi._

_Everyone at the table stared at her with disgust in their faces, of course Bobby was part of their family, she was the stranger there. The whole table went silent for a few seconds; they could only hear the music playing at the party and the distant chatter of the rest of the attendants. Finally, Cas took a deep breath and decided to talk,_

_“Dean is my husband,” he said._

_“What?” asked Naomi,_

_“We are married, it’s been almost a year actually; we’re in love and we are very happy, now, as Bobby said, this isn’t the place or the time to talk about this because today is Mike and Jill’s day… besides you’re not my mother, you’re not part of my life so I don’t need to talk about this with you, I’m not interested in sharing my life with you,” said Cas trying not to raise his voice._

 

“Are you okay?” whispered Dean so only Cas could hear him, he had noticed that Cas’s mind was somewhere else; Cas nodded and held Dean’s hand under the table; Dean smiled and turned his attention back to the rest of the family.

 

“Let’s change the subject please,” said Chuck, “Thank you very much Jill for not inviting her and I’m sorry Michael but you already know that your mother isn’t welcome in this house,” he walked towards the table and placed a plate with bacon next to the fruit. Gabe placed a plate with pancakes (and mini pancakes for Tegan) and a pan with scrambled eggs in the table a minute later.

 

“Okay, breakfast is ready,” announced Gabe. Everyone sat at the table and Jill handed plates with a small portion of eggs to Tegan and Leonard. Alan started to cry when he saw the action,

 

“C’mon Al, eat your fruit and then you can have your eggs like your siblings… they already had their fruit and they liked it,” said Michael. Alan grabbed the slice of cantaloupe from the plate and threw it to the floor. Michael closed his eyes and took a deep breath, Alan kept crying and everyone was looking at them waiting for Mike’s reaction,

 

“Let me help you,” said Jill,

 

“No… I can handle this,” said Michael, “Alan, I need you to eat your fruit, if you don’t eat it you can’t have your eggs… please, you need to learn to eat more stuff now that you’re a big boy,” he was trying really hard not to raise his voice.

 

“NO!” yelled Alan and he started to cry even harder. Cas was starting to feel anxious with all the noise and Dean noticed right away so he stood up and took Alan from Mike.

 

“Hey, Al… Don’t cry, okay? You’re scaring your uncle Cas,” said Dean wiping the tears from Alan’s face with his shirt. Alan looked at Cas and stopped crying, “That’s better,” whispered Dean, “why don’t you want to eat the cantaloupe, little man? You like your weird porridge and your cereals… You like apples and bananas, right? Well, it’s the same stuff, but now that you’re older you get to eat more fruit like adults do.” Dean sat at his chair and placed Al on his lap.

 

_“Perhaps you would like to try something else?” asked Cas staring at his nephew, “what about strawberries? Watermelon?” he grabbed a small slice_ of watermelon and handed it to Al. The little boy grabbed it and stared at it for a few seconds,

 

“Try it Al, Watermelon’s my favorite,” said Tegan. Alan stared at his sister and then back at the slice of fruit he was holding… he waited for a few seconds and then he finally tried it. He smiled and gave it another bite.

 

“Oh, thank God,” said Michael, “I was starting to thing he would spend the rest of his life eating only bananas, apples and eggs,”

 

“See? It’s delicious isn’t it?” asked Cas, “I don’t like most of the fruits either but I love watermelon… you don’t have to be like your siblings Al, but you need to eat healthy,” said Cas to the kid; Alan didn’t look at Cas directly in the eye, he was busy staring at the fruit on the table but he listened to his uncle and after a few seconds he nodded and then pointed at the plate with fruit; Cas handed him another slice of watermelon. Everyone looked in silence at the interaction. Dean was mesmerized by the way his husband was talking to their nephew; the moment made him realize that maybe there was something missing in their little family.

 

“Jesus, Cas, you’re like the kid whisperer,” said Gabe breaking the silence.

 

“I just know what it’s like to have a father who worries a lot,” said Cas smiling. Chuck smiled awkwardly and nodded.

* * *

 

“Thanks a lot for taking Tegan with you for the day,” said Jill. She was at the living room with Dean and Cas waiting for Michael to come downstairs with Tegan.

 

“No problem,” said Dean.

 

“Those three can be a handful and Mike gets stressed pretty fast, specially with the boys,” said Jill.

 

“Hey, it’s okay, really… we know kids can be a pain in the ass sometimes, we’ll take care of Tegan for the rest of the day and you can get everything ready for the party; just call us if you need anything,” said Dean.

 

“Thanks guys,” said Jill.

 

“I’m ready,” said Tegan running towards her uncles in that moment, she was carrying a small purple backpack.

 

“No running inside the house Teg,” said Michael.

 

“Sorry Dad,” said Tegan.

 

“C’mon princess, lets go… you can help us pick presents for your brothers,” said Dean.

 

“Can I take Bert with me?” asked Tegan walking towards a little pug walking into the living room in that moment; she grabbed him and gave him a hug,

 

“No sweetheart, Bert’s got to stay here,” said Jill,

 

“But mommy, I bet Nik misses him,” said Tegan trying to put a sad face,

 

“Honey, Bert is a little baby and he’s still in training, if you take him with you, your uncles are going to have to take care of you and the puppy, besides Bert isn’t ours, it’s Gabe’s and he would miss him if you take him,” explained Jill.

 

Bert was Gabe’s new puppy, he was a couple of months old and was the son of Nikola Tesla and Coco, his full name of course was Albert Einstein but everybody called him Bert.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan in defeat, “Can we get ice cream?” She asked looking at Cas. Cas looked at Michael who nodded in response.

 

“Sure,” said Cas. Tegan jumped and clapped in excitement.

 

“You’re like a weird mix between Charlie and your mom,” said Dean.

 

“Thank you,” said Tegan. Dean took her hand and after saying goodbye to everyone they left the house and headed to the mall.

* * *

 

“Everything okay back there?” asked Dean looking at Tegan’s reflection through the rearview. She was sitting on her special car seat on the back of the impala.

 

“Yes,” she answered.

 

“Okay, so we’re gonna get the presents and then we’re stopping at Target and then we’re going to our home,” said Dean.

 

“Can I play with Nik?” asked Tegan.

 

“Yes, as soon as we get home; he actually needs a bath so you can help us with that,” said Cas.

 

“Cool,” whispered Tegan.

 

“So, Teg, what should we buy for the twins?” asked Dean.

 

“Umm… toys?” she answered.

 

“Toys? But you kids have a shitload of toys,” said Dean.

 

“Dean! Language,” said Cas,

 

“Oops, sorry… what I meant is that you guys have a lot of toys already… do you have anything else in mind?” asked Dean.

 

“Ummm,” answered Tegan, “Leonard loves dragons and Alan loves whales,” she said.

 

“Okay,” said Cas,

 

“What about clothes? Those two are growing up pretty fast, I bet we can find them some cool outfits, what do you say?” Asked Dean,

 

“Yes!” said Tegan clapping.

 

“Okay, lets go to the mall, then!” said Dean.

* * *

 

“What about this one?” Asked Dean showing a little black shirt to Cas, it had Metallica’s logo on it.

 

“Are we buying clothes for you or for our nephews?” asked Cas chuckling,

 

“Oh, c’mon man… this is awesome,” Cas rolled his eyes and kept looking through the shirts,

 

“Okay, what about this? Three shirts, a couple of pants and a pair of shoes for each kid,” said Cas.

 

“Sounds great,” said Dean; he made sure that the shirt was the right size and then he kept looking between the racks, “okay, Metallica for Leonard and The Beatles for Alan,” he said lifting another shirt. Cas nodded and smiled at his husband.

 

At the end they bought the Metallica shirt, pajamas with little blue dragons, a denim button down, white Chuck Taylors and black jeans for Leonard; and the Beatles shirt, a denim button down, black jeans, a pair of blue Chuck Taylors and a pair of slippers shaped like little orcas for Alan.

 

“Jesus, baby clothing can be expensive,” said Dean placing the bags in the trunk of the car.

 

“Yes, but it’s pretty cute too,” admitted Cas while he helped Tegan to get in her seat.

 

“You’re right,” said Dean. They finished getting everything in the car and then they drove to their next destination.

* * *

 

“Wanna walk or sit in the cart?” asked Dean when they walked into Target.

 

“Umm… the cart!” she said with excitement.

 

“Okay,” said Dean; he lifted her and placed her inside the cart, “just hold on tight okay?” Tegan nodded and sat cross-legged.

 

Cas led the way looking for everything in his list and Dean followed him pushing the cart. It only took them 15 minutes to get everything they needed,

 

“Okay, I have everything… we only need to get Tegan’s ice cream and then we can go,” said Cas ruffling his niece’s hair.

 

“Uncle Cas, can I swim in your pool?” asked Tegan.

 

“I don’t see why not, but I need to ask your mom first,” said Cas, he grabbed his phone and texted Jill. While they waited for her answer they walked to the ice-cream aisle,

 

“What flavor do you want?” asked Dean,

 

“Umm… I don’t know… can we get two flavors?” asked Tegan. She had mastered the art of the ‘puppy eyes’ thanks to Sam since she was two so Dean knew he was lost as soon as he asked,

 

“Okay… but we’re having a healthy meal first, lots of vegetables and no soda, deal?” asked Dean.

 

“Okay, but no tomatoes!” she said.

 

“Deal,” said Dean, “pick your flavors then,” she stared at the huge freezers containing all the ice cream.

 

“Uncle Dean…” she whispered,

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I can’t read,” she said.

 

“Oh, right… sorry kiddo… I’ll read you the flavors and you tell me which ones do you want, okay?” said Dean.

 

“Jill Says you can swim in the pool but you need to put on a lot of sunscreen and take a shower after the pool, okay?” said Cas.

 

“Yes… oh, but I didn’t bring my swimsuit,” said Tegan.

 

“Don’t worry, we’ll get you one… first your ice cream,” answered Cas.

 

Dean read a lot of flavors to Tegan and at the end she picked spumoni and vanilla. After picking the ice cream they headed to the clothes section to find Tegan’s swimsuit.

 

Cas carried her out of the cart so she could look at the swimsuits.

 

“What about this?” asked Cas picking a pink ‘hello kitty’ one,

 

“Nope,” said Tegan shaking her head.

 

“This?” asked Dean showing her a Barbie one,

“No,” she said.

 

“Okay, what are you looking for?” asked Cas.

 

“Stars or hearts,” she said smiling.

 

“Okay, lets find one, then.” They browsed through the racks looking for the perfect swimsuit.

 

“I want this one,” said Tegan pulling a yellow swimsuit with purple stars from a rack,

                                                                                

“Lets find your size and then we’re good to go,” said Dean smiling. Right in that moment an old lady walked behind them and shook her head,

 

“Disgusting… just, disgusting,” she said. Dean stood between her and Tegan; Cas took Tegan’s hand,

 

“Come on Teg, we should get some sunscreen too, Dean can find your swimsuit and then meet with us,” said Cas. Tegan walked with him towards the pharmacy section.

 

“We’re not bothering you lady, I would really appreciate if you could leave us alone,” said Dean and then he turned around to look for Tegan’s swimsuit.

 

“It should be illegal for people like you to have kids,” said the woman.

 

“Well, it isn’t… sucks to be you… now if you excuse me,” he found the size he was looking for, “my husband and kid are waiting for me,” he turned around, threw the swimsuit in his cart and left the old lady standing there alone.

 

Tegan wasn’t his kid, but he didn’t feel like explaining that to the lady and besides, for some reason that phrase _‘my husband and kid,’_ felt perfect when he said it.

* * *

 

After the uncomfortable incident with the lady and paying for their stuff they headed back to their house. Tegan helped the guys to put all the groceries in the right place and then she helped Cas to wrap the presents.

 

“Your uncle Cas is an expert in wrapping presents,” said Dean sitting next to Cas and Tegan at the kitchen table.

 

“Really?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, he loves giving presents to people so he’s kinda became an expert,” answered Dean smiling,

 

“Is that why you love him?” asked Tegan,

 

“Because of the wrapping?” asked Dean laughing,

 

“No, the presents,” she corrected,

 

“Oh… no, I mean, the presents are nice but I would love Cas even if he stopped giving me presents,” said Dean.

 

“Then why you love him?” she asked,

 

“Well… he takes care of me, he’s a good listener, he always knows what to say, he loves me, he gives the best hugs in the world and he is an incredible cook,” said Dean.

 

“Uncle Dean is right,” said Tegan,

 

“Why sweetheart?” asked Cas,

 

“You give the bestest hugs in the world,” said Tegan. Cas smiled and hugged her,

 

“I only hug the people I love Teg, that’s why my hugs are so special,” said Cas and then he kissed the top of her head. Tegan giggled and then pushed Cas a little,

 

“Pool?” she asked,

 

“First you need to have a healthy snack, then we need to give Nik a bath and then the pool, okay?” said Dean. Tegan nodded and helped Dean to clean the table while Cas prepared the snacks.

* * *

 

“That was yummy,” said Tegan rubbing her tummy after her chicken salad; she was now finishing her ice cream.

 

“Told you, he’s an incredible cook,” said Dean, “now, c’mon, we should go and give Nik a bath,” he stood up and carried Tegan to the backyard, she kept laughing and screaming every time Dean lifted her in the air.

 

“I’m flying uncle Cas!” she kept repeating; Cas followed them carrying Nik and his shampoo bottle.

 

“Dean, she just ate… stop it,” said Cas concerned and trying to hide his laugh.

 

“Okay super girl, time to clean the stinky dog,” said Dean while placing Tegan back on the ground. Cas connected the hose while Dean grabbed Nik.

 

Bathing Nik was actually pretty easy, the little dog loved water so after 10 minutes he was clean, and Cas, Tegan (specially her) and Dean were soaked. They went upstairs to change into their swimsuits; Tegan insisted she could do it herself, so she met with the guys in the backyard a few minutes later wearing her brand new swimsuit.

 

“Looking good Teg,” said Dean,

 

“You know what would go perfect with that outfit?” asked Cas,

 

“What?” asked Tegan.

 

“Sunscreen, come here,” he lifted the bottle and poured some of it on his hand. Tegan rolled her eyes but allowed Cas to smear the sticky cream on her arms and face, “you help me with the legs,” said Cas.

 

Once the three of them were wearing the sunscreen they jumped into the pool (Tegan wearing floaties).

* * *

 

“Mom is gonna learn me how to swim next summer,” declared Tegan.

 

“She’s going to teach you,” corrected Cas.

 

“Umm... yeah, she’s gonna teach me how to swim… next summer,” said Tegan.

 

“That’s cool, if you’re a little like your uncle Cas you’re gonna be great at it,” said Dean placing a kiss on Cas’s cheek, “I think he’s secretly a merman… mermaid, what’s the correct term?” asked Dean laughing,

 

“Are you a merman uncle Cas?” asked Tegan with wide eyes.

 

“I don’t know… maybe,” answered Cas winking at her.

 

“Cool,” she whispered, “I can’t wait to tell all my friends in school!” she said with excitement but then she seemed to remember something and started to look sad,

 

“What is it princess?” asked Dean,

 

“Mommy said maybe we’re going to another city… if that happens I’m going to a different school!” she answered,

 

“Oh, come here…” Dean and Cas hugged her, “don’t be sad… you’re not even sure yet, besides, if you move you get to make new friends, you’ll have more friends,” said Dean.

 

“And a new room, you’ll go to new places… it’s going to be like an adventure,” said Cas.

 

“But I don’t wanna… what if I don’t like the new city?” she asked,

 

“Kiddo… when I was 8, I moved out of my city… I used to live in Kansas but after my mom died, we had to move here… and at first I was upset, I missed my house and my friends… but then I met the boy next door and I was so thankful that we had moved… I missed my old life but I met my best friend in the whole world thanks to that,” said Dean.

 

“Isn’t uncle Cas your best friend in the whole world?” she asked curiously,

 

“Yeah, and we’ve been best friends since we were 8… he used to live in this house and I used to live at your grandpa Bobby’s house,” said Dean.

 

“Wow,” she said with wide eyes.

 

“Yeah… see? Sammy and I got to meet amazing friends because we moved to another city… and I got to meet Cas,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, I think I need a new best friend anyway… ‘cuz Carly Simmons is mean to me and she pulled my hair on the swings so she’s not my best friend anymore and I like Lizzie Clark but she eats glue and sand and she calls me Megan all the time,” explained Tegan.

 

“See? Moving to another city is a great chance to meet new friends,” said Cas.

 

“Okay… if we go to other city, I’m telling my new friends about my merman uncle,” she said smiling. Cas placed a kiss on her cheek.

* * *

 

They played for a while in the pool; Tegan kept jumping to the water and splashing everywhere, and at some point she decided that since Cas was a merman he could swim with her on his back the whole time, she had a blast.

 

“Teg, I know we’re having an amazing time but we need to get ready for the party, c’mon,” said Dean.

 

“But uncle Dean,” said Tegan.

 

“C’mon kiddo, your mom’s gonna kill us if we don’t make it there on time,” said Dean getting out of the pool.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan in defeat.

 

“Hey, hey… someone told me there was a party going on in here but all I see are long faces… what’s this about?” said Charlie suddenly walking towards them.

 

“Aunt Charlie!” yelled Tegan in excitement.

 

“Hello Charlie,” said Cas from the pool.

 

“What’s going on?” asked Dean.

 

“I was at Chuck’s helping Jill when we noticed that a certain little lady had forgotten an important part of her outfit for today,” said Charlie lifting a pair of purple jeans.

 

“Oops,” said Jill.

 

“Didn’t your dad help you to put everything you needed in the backpack?” asked Dean.

 

“He was dis… si… dist…” she was still having trouble with long words.

 

“Distant? Distracted?” Asked Cas.

 

“Yes… dis… tracted,” she said. Charlie walked towards the pool and helped Tegan out; she wrapped her goddaughter with a towel. Cas got out of the pool next,

 

“Wow, Cas… been going to the gym?” asked Charlie looking at Cas’s toned body.

 

“I’ve been engaging in a lot of physical activities lately…” answered Cas and Dean chuckled, “anyway, why was your father distracted?” asked Cas while grabbing a towel.

 

“Cuz I was asking lots of questions and daddy says he can’t focus when I ask lots of questions,” said Tegan.

 

“That sounds like Michael,” said Charlie, “but hey, that’s part of our job as responsible adults, answering all of your questions,”

 

“No, he said I shouldn’t ask you that ‘cuz it would be weird,” she said. Charlie lifted her from the floor,

 

“Want me to help you take a shower?” asked Charlie,

 

“Yes please,” said Tegan smiling.

 

“Wait,” said Dean, “what did you want to ask that your dad said would be weird,”

 

“Oh umm… I wanted to know how do you have babies,” she said.

 

“What?” asked Cas.

 

“When a mommy and a daddy want to have a baby, the daddy puts a little seed inside the mommy and then a baby grows in her belly and then, she has a baby,” said Tegan while mimicking her words.

 

“Okay,” said Dean.

 

“But you are two boys… so you would be a daddy and a daddy and I wanted to know who puts the seed and who has the baby but my dad said I should never ask you ‘cuz it’s weird… and he said that maybe uncle Dean puts the seed and uncle Cas would have the baby because he’s like the girl and then I said ‘you’re silly daddy ‘cuz uncle Cas is a boy not a girl’ and then he said ‘forget what I said, you’ll get it when you’re older’ and then he gave me five dollars,” explained Tegan.

 

“Oh,” was all Cas could answer.

 

“I should probably take you inside, we need to get you ready for the party,” said Charlie still a little shocked; she turned around and then walked into the house to help Tegan get ready.

 

“I thought he had changed,” said Cas once Tegan and Charlie were inside the house.

 

“I’m sorry Cas… I thought so too, you know? I thought having kids helped you see the world from a different perspective… but man, what the fuck was that?” said Dean.

 

“Well, at least he stopped being disrespectful in front of us, that’s something,” said Cas walking towards the house.

 

“Yeah, but he’s telling shit to the kids, Tegan is too young to understand what he said, but that was mean… maybe we should talk to him… we would be doing him a favor, to be honest… I mean, there’s a big chance that they end up moving to LA, what does he expect to find there? ‘Perfect’ families and people burning rainbow flags?”

 

“Yes, you’re right… at this point I’m not doing this for him… I’m doing it for the kids… I don’t want them to be raised thinking like that, he’s my brother and I love him but I don’t like the way he expresses about us…. It is like listening to my mother,” said Cas. They walked into their room and closed the door behind them. Dean hugged Cas from the back and started placing little kissed on his neck,

 

“Relax babe, today’s supposed to be a great day… a celebration, we’ll talk to your brother tomorrow, okay? Lets take a shower now,” said Dean.

 

“Do you want to share?” asked Cas trying to relax.

 

“Only if you want,” said Dean.

 

“What I want,” said Cas turning around, “is to make love to my husband… unfortunately, our best friend and our niece are two doors down the hallway and I would hate to scar them for life,”

 

“Jesus…we could be quiet,” said Dean smirking,

 

“Oh Winchester, you know pretty well you’re not able to do that,” said Cas, he placed a soft kiss on Deans lips and then he turned around and walked to the bathroom.

 

“Fuck,” whispered Dean, “the things you do to me Cas,” he said.

 

“Are you joining me, or what?” asked Cas from inside the bathroom.

 

“Coming,” answered Dean with excitement.

* * *

 

“You guys decent?” asked Charlie from behind their door. Cas was putting on a t-shirt and Dean was still inside their huge changing room trying to find something to wear.

 

“Yes,” answered Cas when he heard Charlie,

 

“Hey, Tegan is almost ready, I’m gonna go to my house to get ready for the party, see you in a while?” she said,

 

“Yes, thank you for helping us with Tegan,” said Cas.

 

“No problem… oh, by the way, I put your wet clothes in the dryer, make sure you take care of that,” she answered,

 

“Oh, right… thanks a lot Charlie,”

 

“You’re welcome, see you guys at the party,”

 

“Bye!” yelled Dean from inside the dressing room.

 

“Don’t take too long Dean!” answered Charlie before leaving the room.

 

Tegan came running into the room a couple of minutes later with a comb in her hand,

 

“Uncle Cas, can you help me with my hair?” she asked. Se was wearing her purple jeans and a gray blouse with purple stars.

 

“Sure, lets go downstairs, I have to take the clothes out of the dryer,” Tegan followed him to the laundry room. Cas carried her and sat her on the washing machine while he took care of the dryer.

 

“Okay, your clothes are ready… now your hair,” said Cas. Tegan was sitting cross-legged on the washing machine so she just turned around so Cas could have better access to her hair.

 

“So… what are we doing?” asked Cas grabbing the comb.

 

“I want a braid… no, wait… two braids!” said Tegan while lifting two fingers of her right hand, “no, no … wait! French braid!” she corrected herself again.

 

“Okay, French braid then,” said Cas smiling. Charlie had taught Cas how to make braids a year back, after Tegan had begged them to play to the beauty salon with her.

 

Cas braided expertly his niece’s long brown hair,

 

“Done, do you have a hairband?” asked Cas. Tegan grabbed a pink hairband from her pocket and handed it to Cas, “Perfect,” said Cas after finishing the braid.

 

“Thanks Uncle Cas,” said Tegan while turning around to face Castiel, “I love you,” Cas hugged her and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

 

“I love you too Teg,” whispered Cas. A white light coming from the door distracted them,

 

“Stupid flash,” said Dean staring at his phone, he had taken a picture of Cas and Tegan hugging.

 

“Hi Mr. Paparazzi… are you ready to go?” asked Cas laughing.

 

“Yeah, just… can I take another picture?” answered Dean. Cas rolled his eyes and leaned against the washing machine, next to Tegan.

 

“Say cheese,” said Dean.

 

“Cheese!” repeated Tegan laughing. Cas got distracted by her laughter and turned his head to one side to look at her; Dean took the picture in that precise moment; it was perfect, Tegan laughing out loud and Cas smiling and staring at her kindly.

 

“This is totally my new wallpaper,” said Dean. Cas smiled and carried Tegan to place her back on the ground. Dean handed Tegan the phone so she could see the picture, Cas grabbed the presents from the kitchen and then they walked to the garage and got in the car.


	2. What the hell just happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The family celebrates the twins' birthday; Michael is an ass, Charlie is awesome, Dean starts to feel like there's something missing in their life...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back and I really really want to work in some art for this fic but my mom is visiting and she loves to stand behind me while I'm at my computer and it's kinda annoying... still I felt like it was time to upload another chapter.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this, like I said at the beginning we'll see a lot of drama and more mature problems. Life is starting to get hard for Dean and Cas, luckily they have each other to go through everything...
> 
> Remember English isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistake.

* * *

Chuck’s backyard was full of little kids when they arrived to the party. There was a trampoline and a ball pool added to the sand box and the swings Chuck had bought for the kids on Christmas. Tegan started to jump with excitement when she saw the place.

 

“C’mon Teg, lets go say hi to your mom and then you can go and paly with the other kids,” said Dean. Tegan nodded and ran towards a big table where the whole family was sitting.

 

“Mommy!” she said out loud,

 

“Hi Teg! How was your day?” asked Jill standing up to hug her daughter,

 

“It was great, we went to the mall and to Target and we had ice cream and chicken salad and we gave Nik a bath and then we played in the pool,” explained Tegan running out of breath.

 

“Sounds like you had a blast, good to know your uncles remembered to give you a healthy snack,” said Jill looking at Dean and Cas, “oh, and look at your hair, it looks gorgeous, did you play to the hair salon with uncle Cas again?”

 

Cas smiled and approached the table to place the presents,

 

“Yes, uncle Cas makes the bestest braids in the whole world,” said Tegan smiling.

 

“It’s in his nature,” whispered Michael,

 

“What?” asked Cas,

 

“Nothing, I umm… let me bring the twins so you can give them your presents,” said Michael standing up.

 

Bobby and Jody arrived in that moment,

 

“Hello folks,” said Bobby smiling,

 

“Hi guys,” said Dean,

 

“Grandpa Bobby! Jody!” yelled Tegan; Bobby smiled at Tegan and lifted her from the ground to place a kiss on her cheek,

 

“It’s great to see you pumpkin,” said Bobby placing Tegan back in the ground.

 

“You too grandpa Bobby, I missed you!” she answered, “and I missed you too Jody,”

 

“Hey! I missed you too kiddo, work isn’t the same without my honorary sheriff,” said Jody winking at Tegan.

 

“Jesus, Jill, where did you find all these kids?” asked Bobby looking at the children playing and screaming; there were almost 20 kids running around and Jill and her family didn’t even live in Sioux Falls,

 

“Kids from the neighborhood, Tegan has had a few play dates with some of them; Garth’s girls, Benny’s son… most of the kids aren’t even the same age as the twins but I wanted them to have a big party, I want them to look at the pictures when they’re older and say ‘wow, our mom threw us and awesome first birthday party,’ I guess it’s silly but, you know?” said Jill with a shrug.

 

“Hey, it’s not silly, you’re happy because the kids are a year old and you want to celebrate, that’s fine,” said Jody.

 

“Here they are,” announced Michael carrying the twins one in each arm.

 

“Happy birthday!” said Dean and Jody at the same time. Michael handed Alan to Cas and Leonard to Bobby.

 

“Happy birthday Len, I know you don’t understand what the hell is going on but we brought you presents… for you and for Alan,” said Bobby happily and then he hugged the little boy. They all took turns to hold the kids and hug them, though it was obvious that the boys only wanted to go back to play.

 

“Wait, I need pictures before the kids end up all covered in sand and cake, c’mon,” said Jill while grabbing her camera. She asked one of the neighbors to take a few pictures and the whole family posed happily. After that, Cas took a few pictures of Mike, Jill and the kids and then finally Jill said the kids were free to go and play,

                                                                                 

“I’ll take them to the sand box,” said Cas,

 

“I’ll go with you, gotta say hi to Garth and Benny,” said Dean. They walked towards the sandbox were the younger kids were playing. Sylvia, Garth’s younger daughter, who was 2, was playing with Jake, Benny’s son, who was 1.

 

“Hi guys,” said Dean sitting Leonard next to Jake, “how’s it going?”

 

“Everything’s cool brother, first time I see Jake since I moved out,” said Benny smiling at his boy.

 

“How are things going in that department by the way? Asked Cas; he placed Alan next to his brother; the little kid immediately started playing with the sand.

 

“We talked a couple of days ago… and at least we both agree on this one, I don’t know how it happened but we just… kinda changed a lot, you know? We wanted different things and I love her, God knows I do… she just wants me to be someone I’m not… we’re not fighting though so that’s good but we’re definitely not getting back together, we’re filing for divorce and we’re having shared custody of Jake, that’s all that matters brother,” explained Benny,

 

“That sucks man, but it’s good you’re keeping it cool for him, that’s for the best… so, are you gonna start looking for a place to live then?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah, I mean, sleeping at the office these two weeks had its perks, at least I was always on time, but, yeah… I need to get a place for myself; I’ll start looking tomorrow,” answered Benny.

 

“If you need help with anything just let us know,” said Cas.

 

“Thanks brother,” answered Benny, “but enough about me, how was your trip Cas?” asked Benny.

 

“It was great, I had an incredible time, it was exhausting but I learned a lot… I feel like I need to sleep for a week after that though, I’ll probably go back to the office on Tuesday,” answered Cas.

 

“Don’t worry brother, take your time… I still can’t believe you keep working with us after all the fame of the books and the graphic novels, I mean, I know you’re only supervising your department now but still, I’m pretty sure having you is the main reason this business has grown so much in the last years,” said Benny.

 

“Don’t give me all the credit Benny, we’ve all worked very hard for our business to grow this much,” answered Cas, “besides, we haven’t published anything in almost three years, I can’t stay at the house all day just watching TV,”

 

“Good point,” said Benny,

 

“Aren’t you guys going to publish anything new?” asked Garth, “I’m dying here dude, those graphic novels were so good,”

 

“I’m not supposed to talk about it,” said Cas with a smirk,

 

“Oh my god, Castiel Winchester, did you just confirmed that you’re publishing new stuff?” asked Garth with excitement,

 

“Well, I can’t say too much, you know, legal formalities and those things, but if you promise not to say anything maybe I could tell you that we’re working on a new book,” answered Cas smiling,

 

“You’ve made me the happiest man on earth Cas, really,” said Garth,

 

“Well, you still need to wait until December for the book to come out,”

 

“Man, I’ve waited for 3 years, I can wait another 5 months, don’t worry.”

* * *

Jill, Charlie and Gabe managed to cook healthy snacks for all the kids at the party,

 

“Mmh, you guys… this thing is awesome,” said Dean while eating a little sandwich,

 

“It was a freaking challenge man, parents these days are all worried about gluten and food coloring and a lot of weird stuff,” said Gabe,

 

“It was like that episode in the Simpsons where March baked gluten-free muffins by blowing on a straw,” said Charlie,

 

“Please tell me you didn’t blow on this food to actually cook it,” said Cas,

 

“No, but I baked all the bread and it’s all gluten free, dairy free, sugar free and it doesn’t have eggs either… everything made with organic ingredients, the cucumbers of the sandwiches are organic too,”

 

“You should start a line of this stuff at your bakery man… delicious and healthy,” said Dean,

 

“I’ll have to think about it,” said Gabe, “at least I was allowed to cook a normal cake for the kids, though I didn’t use sugar but I’m confident you’re gonna love it,”

 

“Man I can’t wait,” said Dean,

 

“Dean, you literally just ate 15 mini sandwiches and a bowl of fruit salad,” said Cas,

 

“Dude, I’m still growing up, I need to stay nourished,” answered Dean. Cas just laughed and rolled his eyes.

 

“Anyway… Michael, I heard about the job interview,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, right, next week, an important law firm, they’re looking for an HR chief, which is crazy because well, I’m an accountant but my boss told them about me and they’re interested,” explained Michael,

 

“So, you got the job already?” Asked Bobby,

 

“No, It’s the first round of interviews, I heard there are 10 candidates for the job, ” said Mike.

 

“Wow, can you imagine? If you end up getting the job you’ll move to LA,” said Charlie smiling,

 

“I know, I mean, it’s just a possibility right now but, I keep thinking, it’ll be a great opportunity for the kids too, there’s always something to do, places to visit, cultural diversity… I’m really excited,” said Jill,

 

“We don’t want to get to excited yet but, we can’t help it, I mean there’s a chance that we might end up living in LA this year,” said Michael.

 

“But right now lets focus on the present, Gabe made a beautiful cake and we still need to sing ‘happy birthday’ to my little boys for the first time,” said Jill.

 

After singing “happy birthday” to the boys and taking pictures of them with their cake (which they of course smeared all over their faces right after the second picture was taken), Gabe cut the cake and everyone got to try his delicious creation. A lot of ladies went crazy about it, they asked Gabe for information about his cakes and his bakery, in just fifteen minutes he had agreed to bake cakes for five different birthday parties.

 

“Wow, I’m like a rockstar,” declared Gabe once he sat at the table with his family after talking with all his potential clients.

 

“Except of course, you’re still living at your dad’s house, you don’t have a girlfriend and your car is hideous,” said Michael,

 

“You’re just jealous because I know how to cook and you don’t,” answered Gabe after sticking his tongue.

 

The party lasted for a couple of more hours; one by one the kids and the parents said goodbye and thanked Jill for the party and the food. At the end only Michael, Jill, Charlie, Gabe, Cas and Dean were left at the table; Chuck was inside taking care of the kids.

 

“Where are the kids?” asked Dean while grabbing another slice of cake,

 

“Inside watching a movie with Chuck, I’m pretty sure they’re gonna fall asleep before the part where Woody meets Buzz,” said Jill smiling,

 

“Cool, Toy Story, a classic,” said Dean,

 

“Can I have some of that?” asked Cas while looking at Dean’s cake; Dean nodded and cut a small piece of it with his fork and then fed it to Cas; Castiel opened his mouth and happily accepted the piece of cake and then he placed a chaste kiss on Dean’s cheek,

 

“Don’t do that,” said Mike,

 

“What?” asked Dean,

 

“Stop being so…”

 

“What? Gay?” asked Dean trying not to raise his voice; Mike didn’t say anything, “Jesus, Jill… I’m really sorry your husband is so scared of ‘gay things’ that you can’t even feed him some cake with your fork or kiss him on the cheek because that’s obviously in the book of ‘stuff that are gay’,” said Dean. Gabe snorted.

 

“It’s not that Dean, it’s just... look, I don’t have anything against your lifestyle, but you don’t have to rub it on our faces, okay?” Said Mike,

 

“Lifestyle? Really? What are you, an old Texan lady?” asked Dean,

 

“I’m sorry after all these years you still can’t accept me for who I am brother,” said Cas; he stood up and turned around, “I’ll go check on the kids,” he walked into the house.

 

“Great, thanks a lot,” said Dean staring at Michael.

 

“Well, I’m sorry I made him uncomfortable with my words… you were making me uncomfortable with your… display of affection,” said Michael,

 

“Dude, it’s not like they were making out on the table, you really overreacted there Mike,” said Gabe. Dean took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose,

 

“You know what your problem is, Michael?” asked Dean, “You think that Cas is some kind of stupid little kid and that for some weird reason you need to tell him what to do because he’s incapable of making decisions… well, let me tell you something man, he’s not stupid, in fact he’s the smartest person you’ll ever meet, he’s so smart that he likes to pretend that he doesn’t understand your hurtful remarks or that he doesn’t notice when you whisper jokes about him, but he does and that breaks his heart… and it sucks man, because you’re his brother and he loves you and all you do is break his freaking heart,” said Dean,

 

“Man, I think ‘heartbreaking’ is a hard word, I mean, I know we don’t have the best relationship in the world but breaking his heart Dean?” said Mike,

 

“No, no… you’re right, because calling our marriage a ‘lifestyle’ doesn’t break his heart, whispering homophobic shit when you think he’s not listening doesn’t break his heart and …”

 

“Hey, I’m his brother, that’s what brothers do, tease each other,” interrupted Michael,

 

Dean took a deep breath; Mike always used those words when he had run out of answers when it came to defend himself or his mother.

“I wasn’t going to talk about this today, specially not in front of our family… but tell me, today, when you told Tegan that she should never ask us about how gay couples have babies because it is just too weird or when you told her that Cas was the girl in our relationship… what was that Mike? Was that you teasing your little brother? Because man, you really know how to play innocent jokes on your brothers,” said Dean standing up.

 

“You told Tegan what?” asked Jill in shock,

 

“I… Jill, I wasn’t thinking, okay? She asked me and I freaked out and it was the first thing that came out of my mouth,” said Michael,

 

“So what? She asked you how gay couples have babies and you told her ‘I don’t know but never ask your uncles because it would be weird and also your uncle Cas is like the girl in that relationship’?”

 

“Kind of,” admitted Mike,

 

“You know what, I’m not in the mood for this,” said Dean without raising his voice, “I don’t care really… we don’t need your approval to be happy, man, I just wish you weren’t trying to raise your kids with your bigoted shit, that’s all… you don’t have to like our ‘lifestyle’ but at least try to be more tolerant, don’t do it for us, do it for your kids… I’m gonna go find my husband,” he turned around and walked into the house.

* * *

Dean found Cas, Chuck and the kids in Cas’s old room; a couple of years back Cas, Dean and Gabe had redecorated it so Tegan (and later the twins) could have a place to sleep when Michael’s family visited Sioux Falls.

 

Cas was sitting on a couch facing the tv, he had a twin in each arm and Tegan was sleeping next to them leaning her head on Cas’s leg,

 

“A little help,” whispered Cas; Dean noticed that the twins were asleep too,

 

“Wait,” Whispered Chuck when he saw that Dean was about to take one of the kids from Cas’s arms, “I need a picture,” he grabbed his phone from his pocket and proceeded to take a couple of pictures.

 

“Do me a favor, send me those okay?” said Dean while taking Alan from Cas’s arms; he turned around and placed the little kid on the big crib he shared with his brother. Chuck carried Tegan to the bed and then Cas stood up and took Leonard to the crib,

 

“How are you?” whispered Dean,

 

“I’m fine, but I want to go home if you don’t mind, it’s been an exhausting day,” answered Cas,

 

“Whatever your want babe, c’mon lets go say goodbye to everyone;” they made sure that the kids were comfortable and then left the room with Chuck walking behind them. When they arrived to the backyard they noticed that their family was still arguing,

 

“So does that mean that you talk shit about me when I turn around too Mike?” asked Charlie,

 

“Charlie, no… I…” Michael answered,

 

“Look, like Dean said, I don’t care about your opinion man, but if you ever tell the kids that they can’t talk to me about something because of my preferences or if you ever tell them that I play the roll of a guy in my relationships, I’m going to kick you in the balls so hard you’re gonna be the one playing the roll of the woman in your marriage, now if you excuse me I’m gonna leave before I say something I don’t want to, because unlike others I have the ability to realize when my opinion isn’t needed,” Charlie stood up and looked at Jill, “good bye Jill, everything was great, I’ll call you tomorrow… Gabe, the food was amazing, see you next week… Dean, Cas… you coming?”

 

“Yeah, I think we should leave too, see you guys, thanks for everything,” said Dean,

 

“Good night,” said Cas waving his hand; they turned around and followed Charlie to the house; while they were walking they could hear Chuck saying _‘what the hell just happened?’_

* * *

“You okay?” asked Dean when they were driving back to their home,

 

“Yes, it’s not even worth it… It’s just… he’s my brother, that’s what hurts, it’s not an old lady at Target saying that we’re disgusting or a guy shouting ‘faggots’ when we walk holding hands, I don’t care about those people… Michael… we, we grew up together Dean, how can we be so different?” said Cas,

 

“Babe, I’m not trying to justify him but he’s your mom’s favorite, he basically was raised to be like her… to be honest Jill has helped a lot, old Michael would have thrown holly water at us when we announced our marriage,” said Dean,

 

“You’re right, I guess all we have to do is wait for him to learn and to realize that we’re not a couple of sinners… it’s just that sometimes it feels like he’s a different person, a better person… and then he does things like what he did today and I don’t know what to think, ” said Cas,

 

“He will understand eventually, having kids has changed him gradually, he screws up sometimes but he’s learning,” said Dean.

 

“I love you so much Dean Winchester,” answered Cas,

 

“I love you too Cas Winchester, more than anything,” said Dean.

* * *

After they arrived home they shared a relaxing moment in the Jacuzzi and then they watched a movie in the TV room with Nik. Cas was tired mentally, the trip, the party, the argument with his brother; spending a quiet evening with Dean was the perfect solution to all that.

 

After the movie, Dean cooked a couple of turkey sandwiches and tomato soup and they had dinner in a comfortable silence,

 

“You know, today I woke up craving quiche, maybe we could go out tomorrow and have a nice meal at that new French restaurant they just opened a few blocks from Kraken,” said Cas,

 

“That sounds great, I’ve been wanting to try that place for weeks, Gabe says it’s the best French cuisine he’s ever tried in this country,” said Dean,

 

“Romantic French dinner tomorrow, then,” replied Cas with a smile,

 

“Oh, Romantic… I love how you think,” said Dean.

 

Once they finished their dinner they cleaned the kitchen and headed upstairs; they brushed their teeth and then went to bed.

 

“Good night,” whispered Cas.

 

“Good night babe,” said Dean, “umm… Cas?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Can you hold me tonight?” asked Dean. Cas smiled, he knew Dean was probably trying to make him feel needed and important after the argument with Mike, and he wasn’t going to complain if Dean was willing to give up his usual place as the big spoon to comfort his husband.

 

“Sure,” answered Cas smiling; he opened his arms and Dean got closer to him,

 

“Hmm… this is nice,” whispered Dean,

 

“I know… good night Dean, I love you,” said Cas.

 

“Love you too Cas,” answered Dean.

 


	3. I… I think we should have a baby.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean is ready to add another member to their family but he doesn't know how to talk about it with Cas.  
> Charlie is upset with Mike.  
> Basically a lot of domestic Destiel in this one. 
> 
> (Enjoy, because next chapter will have some angst)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm back... this chapter isn't long and it ends in a cliffhanger but I wanted to post it because I wanted to make an announcement (which you can read in the notes at the end)
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, remember English ins't my first language and I don't have a beta.

* * *

 

July 11th

 

A little after 9 am Cas was woken up to have lazy morning sex, he was still a little sleepy but it was great and he managed to sleep for a couple of hours more after they were done.

 

When he woke up for the second time, Dean was already downstairs cooking breakfast. Cas sat up on his bed, put on a pair of clean pajama pants and then gathered all their dirty clothes and the sheets from the bed in a laundry basket.

 

He walked downstairs carrying the laundry basket and after placing a soft kiss on Dean’s cheek he walked straight to the laundry room,

 

“I have bad news and good news,” said Dean. Cas finished setting the washing machine and then joined Dean in the kitchen,

 

“What is it?” asked Cas,

 

“I called to make reservations at the French restaurant but they’re full until next week,” said Dean,

 

“Oh, I really wanted to try their quiche,” said Cas,

 

“Well, the good news is that I called Gabe and he gave me a recipe for quiche and if you wait only 15 minutes we can have that for breakfast,” said Dean,

 

“I love you so fucking much Winchester,” said Cas smiling,

 

“Wow, chillax, no cursing in front of the children,” said Dean chuckling and pointing at Nik who was standing next to Dean clearly waiting for food to fall to the floor,

 

“Sorry,” answered Cas smiling. They set the table and Cas prepared some tea and coffee while they waited for the quiche to be ready; after a few minutes Dean announced that it was ready and they sat at the table to enjoy their delicious breakfast,

 

“Oh my God, Dean… this is amazing,” said Cas after trying the quiche,

 

“Glad you liked it,” answered Dean smiling. They ate in a comfortable silence for a few minutes,

 

“What’s with the recent cravings by the way?” asked Dean,

 

“What?” asked Cas,

 

“On Friday you were craving lasagna and yesterday quiche, you’re not pregnant right?” asked Dean,

 

“Hmm ... nope, sorry just got my period last week, my cravings for international food are only a coincidence… besides, contrary to my brother's beliefs, you and I know who would be the one getting pregnant if that could happen,” answered Cas,  

 

“Touché,” said Dean laughing; he was glad to see that Cas was taking the events of the previous day with humor. They kept enjoying their breakfast; Cas reading the news on his ipad and Dean staring at his husband.

 

Talking about pregnancies and thinking about the party made Dean think about something that had been in his mind for a couple of months now: having kids. Like everything in their relationship he always waited for Cas to take the initiative when it came to big changes. It was Cas who decided when to have sex for the first time, it was Cas who proposed, it was Cas who finally picked the house they bought, and Dean knew he needed to wait until Cas decided to talk about kids; they’d never talked about having kids; when they were only friends, back in college, they used to talk about the future but that was also the time when Cas used to say that he didn’t like people sexually or romantically so Dean always assumed that he’d never thought about kids; in fact during the first years of their marriage Dean thought that Cas didn’t want kids, but seeing him interacting with Michael’s kids had made Dean realize that Cas was actually pretty good with children and that he would be a great dad.

 

“Dean, what are you thinking?” asked Cas; Dean realized in that moment that somehow they had finished breakfast, he had been working on autopilot for a few minutes,

 

“Oh… I umm, I wanted to ask you something,” said Dean,

 

“About what?” asked Cas,

 

“Well… look, I’ve been thinking about…” right in that moment the sound of the doorbell interrupted Dean, “Jesus,” said Dean, “we’ll talk about it later, it can wait,”

 

“Okay, can you open the door while I put the clothes in the dryer,” said Cas standing up and placing the dishes in the sink,

 

“Sure,” said Dean; he stood up and walked towards the security monitor to check who was outside; Charlie was standing there with a box of doughnuts; he lifted the phone of the intercom,

 

“Hi Charlie, did you forget your keys?” asked Dean.

 

“No man, but it’s a Sunday morning and Cas spent last week out of town… I didn’t want to risk it and find you two naked in the kitchen or something,” said Charlie with a big smile,

 

“You’re so funny Bradbury, but smart… you can come in, we were just finishing breakfast,” said Dean.

 

“Cool, I brought dessert,” said Charlie. Dean pressed the button to open the gate and after a few seconds Charlie was walking into the house.

 

“Hi Red,” said Dean,

 

“There’s a new coffee place close to our old office, man the doughnuts they sell are freaking awesome,” said Charlie. She placed the box on the table and grabbed the cup of coffee Dean offered her.

 

Cas walked into the kitchen a minute later,

 

“Oh, hello Charlie,” he said with a big smile.

 

“Hi Cas, I brought doughnuts,” she said,

 

“This shit’s amazing man,” said Dean with his mouth full,

 

Cas smiled and grabbed a doughnut; he sat next to Charlie.

 

“So, what’s going on Red? Not that we don’t like to have you here but you never visit us on Sundays,” said Dean grabbing his second doughnut.

 

“I just, I didn’t sleep well last night, thinking about what happened with Mike… I woke up pretty early today and ended up writing reviews on Yelp for almost two hours, that’s how I found this new place by the way…. Anyway, the point is, I feel like shit after last night and I wanted to know how are you doing,”

 

“I decided that it’s not worth it anymore, I’m done trying to change my brother, it’s a shame because I love Jill and the kids so much, but I’m done with Michael… from now on I think we'll just have one of those awkward relationships where we only say hello and goodbye when we see each other and that’s it,” said Cas.

 

“It got me thinking, you know? Like, how many people in our lives pretend that they’re okay with us but they secretly still hate something about us,” said Charlie.

 

“We’ve all been in those situations at some point, Charlie’s grandma, my mother and Michael… Lisa; we’ve all had important people in our lives calling us names or turning their backs because of our sexual orientation… but even if at that part of our lives it made us feel like we wouldn’t be happy ever again… here we are, happy, with friends and people who love us.”

 

Charlie wiped a tear from her cheek and smiled. Dean stood up and walked around the table just to reach Cas and kiss his cheek.

 

“Dude, I really love the way you see the world,” said Dean smiling. Cas smiled back at him; he didn’t understand what was so great about what he had just said… here was the proof; he didn’t need Mike to be happy, especially when he had awesome people in his life like Charlie and Dean.

Eventually they changed the subject; Cas told them a few things about the new book and he shared with them the design of a couple of new characters. After an hour Jill called them to say goodbye since they were going back to Pierre and she apologized for her husband’s behavior.

 

“It’s okay Jill, we know it’s part of the deal, we love you and the kids so we have to accept Mike in our lives too,” had said Charlie to lighten the mood. They made plans for the next time Jill visited Sioux Falls.

 

“Well guys,” said Charlie once they ended the call with Jill, “I better go, I need to get some groceries and clean my room,” she stood up and walked towards the sink to wash her mug.

 

“I won’t go to the office tomorrow, but I’ll see you on Tuesday, okay?” said Cas.

 

“That sucks, I was hopping to see you tomorrow,” said Charlie while drying her hands.

 

“I’m sorry, but I promise I’ll be there on Tuesday and you can pick the movie we watch or whatever you want to do,” said Cas.

 

“Cas, I’m not a child, you don’t need to bribe me with that, but since you insist…” she said with a smile. Cas rolled his eyes and then they followed her to the door.

 

“It was nice talking to you guys, see you on Tuesday,” said Charlie. She hugged her friends and then left the house.

 

Dean held Cas’s hand and then they walked back inside.

 

* * *

 

Since the moment Cas and Dean bought their house they decided they wouldn’t hire a person to clean it, their reasons were a little silly, Cas thought no one would be able to understand his system to organize things and Dean was so obsessed with order that he preferred to do thing himself; so instead they chose to keep up with their system and clean the house during the weekends; the only help they hired was the gardener who visited the house every other week and the guy who cleaned the pool, who visited 5 times a week while they were at work.

 

After Charlie’s visit Dean and Cas resumed to their activities; Dean finished cleaning the kitchen and then cleaned all the bathrooms while Cas took care of the laundry and then swept and moped the floors; it was a monotonous job but they both liked it, it was nice to dedicate a little time to their home.

 

Once Cas had finished all his chores, he walked into the garage to let Dean know that he had fixed them something to eat. Dean had already finished washing his car and he was now vacuuming the interior of his beloved Impala. Cas covered his ears when he heard the loud noise of the vacuum; Dean didn’t notice that he was there so Cas just stood there waiting for Dean to turn off the vacuum.

 

While he waited, Cas looked at the empty spot next to Dean’s car; a couple of years back that was the spot designated for Cas’s car but he had finally convinced Dean to sell it and now the incident with the car was just a bad memory (which Cas tried to avoid). After a few minutes Dean finally turned off the vacuum and noticed Cas’s presence,

 

“Hi Cas, didn’t see you there,” said Dean while putting the vacuum in a box. Cas uncovered his ears and smiled at Dean,

 

“Our meal is ready, I cooked burgers… are you done?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, Baby is ready for the week,” said Dean looking at his car with pride.

 

“She looks beautiful, as always,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, I know,” said Dean, he turned around and walked towards his husband, “okay, burger time it is,” he said.

* * *

 

After their meal, they cleaned the kitchen. Dean spent the whole time thinking about his pending talk with Cas; Cas spent the whole time looking exhausted; fortunately Dean knew exactly what to do,

 

“Babe,” said Dean while drying his hands on a rag,

 

“Yes?” asked Cas while setting up the dishwasher; Dean walked towards him and hugged him from behind; he placed a kiss on the back of Cas’s neck,

 

“I was thinking… we’ve been busy all day and we had a weird morning, what about some relaxing time in the Jacuzzi?” asked Dean,

 

“You know what? It actually sounds like a perfect idea, I’ve been pretty tense today,” said Cas turning around and touching Dean’s face softly.

 

“Okay, Relaxing bath and then we can cuddle in the TV room and watch whatever you want,” said Dean placing a soft kiss to Cas’s lips,

 

“You know me so well,” said Cas,

 

“You’re my best friend and the love of my life Cas, of course I know you,” said Dean looking into Cas’s eyes, “now, I’ll go and get the Jacuzzi ready while you go and get a couple of clean towels,” Dean kissed Cas’s cheek and then left the kitchen to go to the backyard.

* * *

 

After their relaxing time at the Jacuzzi, they put on pajamas and then Cas prepared tea and they went upstairs to the TV room.

 

“Have a movie in mind?” asked Dean,

 

“Not really, can we just cuddle and talk? It feels like it’s been ages since the last time we laid on bed and talked about everything and nothing until 3am,” said Cas.

 

For the last couple of months, Cas had been a little busy with business meetings with his dad and their agent since they were working on the new book; by the time he arrived to their home at night he was so tired that he went straight to bed almost every night; Dean understood, of course, but Cas was right, they needed a relaxing night just talking and lying next to each other in bed.

 

“Well, that actually sounds perfect… I needed to tell you something this morning, remember?” said Dean,

 

“Crap! Right, sorry… I’ve been so busy thinking about the book and then what happened with my brother that I completely forgot that you wanted to tell me something,”

 

“Don’t worry,” said Dean, he stretched his arm and held Cas’s hand, “lets go to our room and we can talk there… like you said, it’s been a while since we spent a sleepless night talking about random shit,” he said with a smile.

* * *

 

Each of them sat at their side of the bed (Cas on the left and Dean on the right), and they drank their tea in a comfortable silence; Once Cas finished his tea he placed his cup on the bedside table and he got closer to Dean,

 

“Okay, what did you want to talk about?” asked Cas with a curious expression. Dean gulped his tea and then put his cup aside.

 

“I ummm… look I’ve been wondering about this for a while because you have never mentioned it and I know that sometimes you just forget about some things or we have different ideas about something,”

 

“Dean… are you okay?” asked Cas worried,

 

“Yeah, sorry… I’m just babbling… I’ll go right to the point…” said Dean,

 

“Okay,” answered Cas. Dean took a deep breath and then looked at Cas straight in the eye,

 

“I… I think we should have a baby”.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I left you with a cliffhanger, I promise I'll update soon... and I have a surprise for you (if you're not a new reader) you might want to go back to chapter 1 and take a look.. I managed to make some free time this weekend and I worked in two drawings for this fic! I want to add more art to this fic (and to the prequel) and I actually finally made a decent tumblr account just to post stuff about the fics and my drawings.
> 
> You can find me there as the-11th-tardis.tumblr.com, I have only posted 1 thing actually, which was the first chapter of this fic (and I think I only have like one follower). 
> 
> So, follow me if you want, I promise i'll keep it updated and maybe we can interact a little more over there. I'll also be posting the illustrations there in case you like one and want to reblog it or whatever. Anyway, it's 0:48 and I have to go to work in the morning so I better go to bed. 
> 
> Have a nice week and let me know what do you think about the new illustrations; I'm gonna try different styles if you don't mind, that way I can practice and this fic also gets some art.


	4. Dean, are you okay?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas talk about having kids... for the first time since they got together they have a big argument and there's a lot of drama.
> 
> Bobby as always is an awesome father; Charlie takes Cas to a new place in town and Cas is a good wingman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm back! I've been meaning to update the whole week but i've bee so freaking busy with job... anyway, here's a new chapter with a little angst and a little fluff. Also i'm working on the art for this story... slowly but i've been adding drawings to the previous chapters (new art on chapter 2).
> 
> Thanks a lot for all the kudos and nice comments, I love you guys a lot!
> 
> Enjoy and have a nice weekend!

* * *

 

“Excuse me?” asked Cas raising his eyebrows in surprise.

 

“I think we should have a baby,” repeated Dean. Cas just looked at him as if he had grown a second head suddenly.

 

“I…” was the only thing that came out of Cas’s mouth,

 

“I mean, just imagine… a little boy running around the house, with your beautiful eyes and your incredible mind,” said Dean smiling, “or a beautiful baby girl with your curly hair.”

 

Cas wanted to say something but Dean looked so happy talking about kids; he let Dean talk but he kept getting more and more nervous with every word his husband said; he couldn’t help it, he started to scratch his hand,

 

“I know it doesn’t have to happen right away, you’re busy with the book and all that… but we can plan it and everything, what do you say?” Asked Dean, only then he realized what Cas was doing to his hand,

 

“Cas, what’s wrong?” he asked while placing his hand over Cas’s,

 

“Dean… I don’t want kids,” said Cas almost in a whisper.

 

“Oh,” said Dean a little surprised, Cas was great with childern, he loved Michael’s kids, “umm...why not?”

 

“When you say ‘imagine a little boy with your eyes and your mind’, I suppose you’re considering getting a surrogate and that I should be the biological father,” said Cas calmly,

 

“Of course, I mean, you’re a freaking genius Cas; if we had kids I obviously would want them to be as smart as you are,” answered Dean,

 

“And that’s exactly one of the reasons… I don’t want to bring to this world another person like me… I didn’t ask to be born like this,” said Cas pointing at his head, “but I was, and life hasn’t been easy for me… I don’t want the responsibility of giving such a burden to another human being,” said Cas,

 

“Okay… I kinda get it, I mean, I’ll never understand how it feels to grow up with Asperger’s, but we basically grew up together and I know that it was hard for you… you don’t have to be the biological father, I could do it… or even better we could adopt, there’s a bunch of kids out there that need a home and loving parents,” said Dean. Cas’s eyes began to look teary,

 

“It’s the same thing Dean… I don’t want to give a kid the burden of being raised by someone like me,” said Cas trying to hold back his tears,

 

“Oh, babe… come here,” said Dean opening his arms; Cas leaned on his chest and started to cry silently, “why didn’t you tell me how you felt about this before? We always tell each other everything,” said Dean while hugging Cas.

 

Cas lifted his head and tried to calm down before talking again,

 

“I knew how you would react… I know what you’re thinking right now, that it looks like I have low self-esteem, that I don’t love myself or that I don’t accept what I am… but I do, I do, okay? I just, I can’t give this burden to someone else, specially not a child,” said Cas,

 

“I love you so much Cas… I want to have kids but I also want you to be happy… maybe it’s just not the time, right? Maybe you’ll change your mind a year from now or in five years or maybe…”

 

“Dean…” said Cas looking at his husband with a serious expression; Cas didn’t want Dean to get false expectations.

 

“Or maybe you’ll never do it…” said Dean understanding what Cas meant, “I’m okay with it, I love you and all I want is for you to be happy… we have our nephews and our niece... I can hang out with them when I feel the need to spoil a bunch of kids… I can always be the cool uncle... and I'm pretty sure Sammy and Jess are gonna have a bunch of kids too,” said Dean with a sad smile. Cas kissed him on the cheek.

 

“I’m sorry Dean… I had no idea how much you wanted to have kids,” said Cas wiping his tears with the back of his hand.

 

“’S not a big deal babe, really… the subject never came out and I assumed that… I don’t know that you just were waiting to be ready… but as long as we’re together I don’t care, I’m perfectly fine with my little family of three… and yes, I’m counting the dog,” said Dean with a fake smile. He was lucky Cas found hard to differentiate a fake smile from a real one due to his Asperger’s.

 

“Did I ruin the plan for the night?” asked Cas worriedly.

 

“No way, lets pretend this didn’t happen… hmm, tell me more about your plans for the book, when can I read it?” asked Dean after placing a soft kiss to Cas’s nose.

 

Cas wasn’t sure if Dean was really okay with changing the subject, but he didn’t want to keep talking about it so he pretended that he was okay with it and started talking about the book and their plans for the next ones.

 

“Well, we have a meeting with Vicky next weekend, we’re supposed to give her the ‘bible’ of this new part of the story, they’re fascinated with the idea of dividing the series in three different paths,” said Cas,

 

“Your dad was a genius when he thought about that, man, he’s gonna be even richer after those books…writing a series exclusively about hunters is an awesome idea,” said Dean.

 

“I’m a little nervous to be honest, it’s been a while since our last work and it is the first time that I help with the writing, I don’t want to disappoint the fans… and now I’ve compromised to write 2 more books... at least,”

 

“You won’t disappoint them babe”, said Dean placing a soft kiss on the top of Cas’s head,

 

“I’m supposed to send the book with the final corrections to Vicky in three weeks, I’ll save you a copy,” said Cas,

 

They got in a more comfortable position on bed, Dean being the big spoon, and they kept talking about random things, avoiding the elephant in the room. Eventually Dean fell asleep a little after 3 am; For Cas it was harder, he stayed awake until almost 6. He decided to go downstairs and swim for a while to relax; it didn't work.

* * *

July 12th

 

On Monday, Cas and Dean woke up a little after 10, they had breakfast together and then Dean left to the garage. At first he had decided to stay with Cas the whole day, but now he felt like he needed space and to think so he decided to go to the garage; he told Cas that they had called him arguing that they had a lot of work.

 

Castiel spent the day trying to distract himself answering e-mails and finishing the illustrations of some new characters for the new book… but deep in his mind he could still hear Dean’s words _‘I think we should have a baby,’_ had said his husband; Cas really loved Dean and he was willing to do anything to make him happy, but having a kid was too much, he had never wanted to have children… but then at the same time, he had never wanted to have a relationship or to come out and now, here he was, happily married with a guy. His mind was a mess so he decided to take a shower; after that he got dressed and went for a walk.

 

He took Nik with him; they ended up finding a new organic store a few blocks away from their home and Cas bought apples to bake a pie for Dean. Feeling a little more relaxed, and after sharing an organic, dairy free, vanilla ice cream with Nik, they headed back home. Cas was walking by Bobby’s house when he saw Jody’s car parked outside; when he looked at the house Jody was closing the door behind her,

 

“Hi Cas,” she said, she was carrying a huge box that seemed heavy.

 

“Hello Jody, is everything okay? What are you doing here?” asked Castiel.

 

“Oh, yeah everything’s fine, remember the collect of books and toys for the kids at the hospital? I just dropped by to pick up Bobby’s donation,” said Jody smiling.

 

“Do you need help?” asked Cas.

 

“Oh, no I got it… just help me with the trunk I can barely see where I’m going,” said jody. In that moment Cas noticed that she had a set of keys hanging by her left thumb. Cas took them carefully and opened the trunk of the car. Jody placed the box inside the trunk and then closed it.

 

“Okay, that freaking box was huge,” she said, “Bobby’s been so busy lately that he keeps forgetting to drop by the station to leave his donations, so I guessed I could make it easier for him,” she explained.

 

“Yes, he’s always busy,” said Cas a little distracted, he was staring at the picture of a little boy on Jody’s key chain, “umm… Jody, do you have a child?” asked Cas.

 

They had known Jody for a few years now, she was nice and Bobby loved her a lot; Cas knew she had been married before but she got a divorce, and that she loved to cook for Bobby; he knew that she loved her job as a Sheriff and that she participated in a lot of events to help the kids at the hospital but he didn’t know she was a mother.

 

“I used to, his name was Owen,” said Jody with a sad smile; Cas handed her the keys, “he died when he was eight, brain tumor,” she explained.

 

“Oh, I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have asked,” said Cas.

“No, it’s fine Cas, it was almost 10 years ago… it was for the best you know? He suffered a lot and at the end he wasn’t himself anymore,” she said.

 

“I um… can I ask you something… I don’t want to sound rude or offend you,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah, of course, shoot,” said Jody.

 

“What?” asked Cas.

 

“You can ask me anything Cas,” said Jody.

 

“Oh… Ummm… do you regret having your son? I mean, I understand you suffered a lot in the past and… it’s just… if you could go back in time, knowing that you would only have your son for 8 years, would you still have him?” asked Cas.

 

“When he died I used to ask myself that a lot, but every single time the answer was _‘yes, I would choose to have him again’_ because having a kid is one of the best experiences in the world Cas, I was sad for a long time when he died, but he also gave me some of the happiest years of my life,” answered Jody.

 

“I see,” answered Cas.

 

“I’m cool now Cas, after Owen died and I got divorced, it was hard at first, but I overcame all that and now I try to be a better person, for him, you know? If there’s a heaven and Owen is watching me, I want him to be proud of me… and I know he would want me to be happy,” she explained.

 

“I’m glad you’re happy now Jody, and I’m glad you and Bobby found each other,” answered Cas.

 

“Thanks Cas,” she answered. Jody opened the door of her car and climbed inside, “have a nice day,” she said after closing her door.

 

“Thanks, you too,” said Cas,

 

“Well, gotta go, I have to drop by your father’s house to pick up his donations too,” she said winking at Cas. Cas waved goodbye and watched her drive away.

 

He walked back to his home and got everything ready to cook dinner. Now he had even more stuff in his mind; he knew a new thing about Bobby’s girlfriend: Jody used to be a mom and she had lost her son.

* * *

When Dean arrived home, the place smelled incredible; he walked straight to the kitchen and found Cas placing a pie on the table,

 

“Wow Cas, did you bake?” asked Dean walking towards his husband.

 

“Yes, I found a new ‘organic store’ a few blocks from here, they had pretty nice apples, I couldn’t resist,” said Cas with a smile,

 

“It smells awesome babe,” said Dean placing a kiss on Cas’s lips. Cas returned the kiss happily and after that he sent Dean to wash his hands while he served the food. They had steaks, mashed potatoes and a green salad.

 

Dean couldn’t help but notice that Cas looked a little tired and kinda jumpy.

 

“Are you okay babe?” asked Dean while grabbing a second slice of pie, “you look tired, I thought taking a day off would help you rest,”

 

“Yes,” answered Cas simply, he waited a few seconds and then added, “Did you know that Jody used to be a mom?”

 

“Really?” asked Dean surprised. Cas told Dean what Jody had shared with him earlier that day.

 

“Wow… I’ve heard her talk about an Owen a few times but I thought she was talking about her ex or something… that must be hard, I guess parent’s biggest fear is to loose their children like that,” answered Dean,

 

“Yes, I guess… she said she didn’t regret it though… being a mom, that it was oneof the best things that has ever happened to her,” said Cas.

 

“Guess, we’ll never know, right?” answered Dean without even thinking. Cas blinked a couple of times and then returned his attention to his food; suddenly he wasn’t hungry anymore.

 

They fell in an awkward silence after that, Dean finished his food, thanked Cas for the dinner and then he cleaned the kitchen while Cas played outside with Nik.

 

By the time Cas went upstairs, Dean was already taking a shower; Cas walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth. A minute later Dean got out of the shower and he dried himself as fast as he could. When Cas walked out of the bathroom Dean was already in bed. Cas followed his example and took his place next to his husband.

 

“Dean, are you okay?” asked Cas; he knew what was going on and even though he wanted to avoid the subject he also hated to see his husband sad.

 

“Yeah babe, just tired from work,” answered Dean. He turned off his lamp and rolled in bed so his back was facing Castiel. Cas sighed and turned off his lamp as well. It was hard for Cas to fall asleep that night too; by 4 am he just accepted that sleep wasn’t going to come, so he stood up and went to the pool for a swim; for the second night in a row swimming didn't help.

* * *

Jully 13th

 

By 6:15 he was ready to go, he was cooking breakfast when he heard Dean walking into the kitchen.

 

“Cas, what are you doing up so early?” asked Dean while rubbing his eyes,

 

“I woke up early and couldn’t go back to sleep so I decided to get ready for the day, breakfast is almost ready,” he answered.

 

Dean stared at Cas for a few seconds, his husband looked even more tired than the day before and of course the atmosphere felt awkward.

 

“Okay, I’ll go back to bed,” said Dean. Cas nodded and kept preparing their breakfast. Dean stood there for a few seconds, he hated this situation; he wished he had never brought up his desire of having kids… Cas looked sad and tired and Dean felt moody and tired as well.

 

 _‘Great, we haven’t had a big fight in 3 years of marriage and the first one is going to be about having kids,’_ he thought before leaving the kitchen.

* * *

Cas had considered for a few minutes walking to his office but with the heat of July it wasn’t a great idea; he cursed himself internally for not being able to drive and then climbed into Dean’s car when it was time to go.

 

The drive from their house to Kraken’s new office usually took 25 minutes; Cas pretended to be checking his e-mail on his iPad. After 15 minutes Dean got tired of the silence and finally talked,

 

“You didn’t sleep at all, did you?” he asked,

 

“No, I didn’t,” said Cas,

 

“Cas… this isn’t good for your health, you look exhausted,” said Dean clearly worried.

 

“Well, that’s what happens when I’m stressed and I keep thinking about the same thing over and over again instead of sleeping,” answered Cas without removing his view from his iPad.

 

When they stopped at a red light Dean turned his face to the right to see his husband,

 

“Well… if you wanted to talk about something you should have…” said Dean raising his voice.

 

“Well… maybe next time if you could stop pretending to be asleep to avoid talking about something that is clearly bothering both of us, I could talk to you, right?” Answered Cas; he placed his iPad in his backpack and then looked at the street, he was close to his job; maybe 10 minutes walking if he walked fast and he wasn’t in the mood to stay in the car with Dean, he opened the door and got out of the car.

 

“Cas, what are you doing? Get back in the car!” Said Dean worried,

 

“I can walk from here Dean, have a good day,” he slammed the door and started walking. The light changed to green in that moment and Dean had to move the car.

 

“Damn it!” screamed Dean, he thought about following Cas to his office but he didn’t want to cause a scene so he reluctantly drove to his job.

* * *

Once in his office, Dean locked the door and asked not to be disturbed. He sat in silence for a while just staring at a picture he had on his desk: Cas and Dean hugging in Central Park the day they got married. Dean didn’t know what was going on; when he had talked with Cas about having kids and then Cas had said ‘no’, Dean thought he was okay with it, but he had discovered that he wasn’t… they still needed to talk but he didn’t want to stress Cas.

 

“And you still managed to make him feel bad about it… you’re a keeper Winchester,” whispered Dean while placing his head against his desk.

 

A few minutes later someone knocked at his door,

 

“Son, are you okay?” asked Bobby from behind the door,

 

“Yeah Bobby… peachy.” Answered Dean opening the door.

* * *

Cas walked into Kraken feeling dizzy and shaking a little, he needed to sit down and breathe. He said hi to the receptionist, and ran towards the elevator. In this new building his office was in the fifth floor next to Charlie’s office. Charlie was now the co- supervisor of the programming area; she shared an office with Ash. All of the original members of Kraken (including Charlie and Kevin) had their offices next to each other; they now had a bigger team of designers, animators and programmers and the business was going great.

 

Once Cas was out of the elevator he ran towards his office and locked himself in. he didn’t bother turning on the lights, he just put his stuff on his desk and then hid in a small space between a couch and the wall; it was tight and warm, the closest thing to his ‘hardcore cuddling’.

 

He lost track of time, he didn’t know for how long he stayed there rocking and scratching his hand. He kept thinking about Dean, he hated arguing with him, it was stupid… but this time it was his fault, it was obvious that Dean was sad and that he was trying to hold back because he didn’t want to upset Castiel and Cas hated that, he wasn’t a child, if Dean wanted to talk more about the subject he shouldn’t be scared of upsetting Cas. But the truth was that Cas was upset, and scared.

 

A long time ago, back in college, Dean had called him a baby in a trench coat, and maybe he was right, Cas was just a baby pretending to be an adult.

 

Trying to avoid having a meltdown at his office Cas decided to take a little nap; he set his alarm for a couple of hours and then he closed his eyes and tried to sleep. It was easy this time, he was really tired and he felt great being in that tight space between the wall and the couch; he hugged his legs, rested his head on his knees and within minutes he was sound asleep.

* * *

“So why don’t you talk to him? Talking about kids isn’t easy Dean, you need to say everything that needs to be said or you’re gonna have a marriage full of resentment and secrets, that’s not healthy son,” said Bobby.

 

“Wow, were you possessed by Dr. Phil or something?” asked Dean,

 

“No, you idjit, that happened to me… and my wife,” said Bobby,

 

“Bobby, that was different, she couldn’t have kids, it wasn’t her choice,” said Dean,

 

“Yeah, but it was still hard, at some point we had to talk about it, we had to decide what we wanted to do… we even talked about divorce, those were hard times Dean… but at the end we fixed it,”

 

“But how did you come to an agreement? I mean, how did she know that you were happy and how did you know that she was?”

 

“Dean… Castiel is the love of your life, you’ve known each other since you were kids, and of course you’ll be able to tell that something’s bothering each other… you just said it yourself, things have been weird between you two for a couple of days, you’re feeling uncomfortable around each other, you need to talk and take it all out until you’re sure that everything’s been said,”

 

“You make it sound so simple,” said Dean while passing a hand through his hair,

 

“Well son, it is that simple… I thought you were done being ‘Mr. everything is my fault and I don’t talk about my feelings,’” said Bobby.

 

“Yeah… sometimes is hard to let go of that Bobby, sometimes I can’t believe that he’s with me… I guess I’m just scared,” said Dean almost in a whisper.

 

Bobby stood up and walked towards the door,

 

“Well, stop being so stubborn and talk to him… and for the love of God, Dean, Castiel is an expert on letting people know when he doesn’t like something, if he wasn’t happy with you, we would already know,”

 

“I guess you’re right,” said Dean.

 

“Of course I’m right you idjit… now come help me with the inventory, I’ll be at my office,” said Bobby walking away.

 

“Okay old man, be right there,” answered Dean, usually he would have made up an excuse to save himself from helping with inventory, but it actually sounded like a perfect idea to distract himself from thinking about Cas; after all, Dean Winchester was the king of ‘fake it until you make it.’

* * *

When Cas woke up it was already ten past eleven. He yawned and got up; he walked to the bathroom and after washing his face and putting a Band-Aid on the cut on his hand he went back to his office.

He was still worried so he decided to burry his mind in his work instead of thinking about his problems.

 

Charlie and Kevin had asked him to join them for lunch but he said that he was a little busy and that he would order some takeaway later and eat it at his office; of course he forgot and he actually spent the whole day without eating.

 

He was caught by surprise a few hours later when Charlie knocked on his door letting him know that it was time for them to go.

 

“Wow, I was really focused in my job… I lost track of time,” said Cas picking up his stuff.

 

“Well, for me the day felt eternal… c’mon I’ve been thinking about our plans the whole day,” said Charlie leaning on the doorframe,

 

“What are we doing today?” asked Cas,

 

“Remember the doughnuts I brought to your house on Sunday? Well, we’re going to that coffee shop… their tea is awesome, the coffee is amazing, they have salads and baguettes too and well, you already tried the doughnuts, so… what do you say?” asked Charlie.

 

“Sounds great,” said Cas smiling. He followed Charlie downstairs and then climbed into her car.

 

“Should we send the address to Dean so he can join us later?” asked Charlie while driving.

 

“No, that’s not necessary… I think we need a quiet evening just the two of us,” said Cas.

 

“Hmm… okay,” said Charlie, she just nodded and kept driving; she had the feeling that there was something going on with Cas.

 

* * *

Dean checked his phone for the fifth time in half an hour,

 

“Dean, if you’re gonna keep payin’ more attention to that damn phone than to this,” said Bobby pointing at a couple of boxes they had in front of them, “we can leave this for tomorrow, you have plans or something?”

 

“No… I, I guess Cas is really pissed, he hasn’t called or texted…” said Dean,

 

“What? Does he have to call you every damn hour so you don’t feel lonely?” Dean rolled his eyes,

 

“It’s a Tuesday… Charlie day, but they usually invite me to hang out with them,”

 

“Maybe he forgot,” said Bobby.

 

“C’mon Bobby, this is Cas we’re talking about,” said Dean.

 

“Well, maybe he just needs some time to think and someone to talk to… Charlie is his best friend, she’ll help him,”

 

“Yeah, I guess,” said Dean while placing his phone back in his pocket; he passed his hand through his hair and took a deep breath, “okay then…back to work.”

* * *

“Cas… are you okay?” asked Charlie. Cas had been very quiet since they left the office and he was currently leaning against the window staring at the street.

 

“I don’t know,” said Cas with his deep voice.

 

“Dude, if you’re still tired after your trip you should take a few more days; you know we’re all okay with that at the office,” said Charlie. Cas waited a few seconds before turning his head to his friend,

 

“I’m not tired because of my trip to the convention… I didn’t sleep last night, that’s why I look like this,” said Cas.

 

Charlie thought for a second about saying something like ‘that’s what happens when you spend the whole night having sex with your husband, Cas,’ but then she remembered Cas’s words from earlier.

 

“Everything okay Cas? I have the feeling this has something to do with Dean,” she said worriedly.

 

“Yes… I believe we just had our first big argument as a married couple,” said Cas. Charlie raised her eyebrows in surprise.

 

“Wanna talk about it?” she asked,

 

“Not really… but I know I have to, it is not fine for my mental health to keep this kind of things inside of me,” he explained, “though I would like to wait until I have something in my stomach, I just remembered I forgot to eat today and I think better with a full stomach,” he said.

 

“Jesus…” said Charlie.

 

“Sorry, I was really focused in my work and I forgot to order something to eat,” said Cas with an apologetic look.

 

“Cas, don’t worry… we’ll fix that in a minute,” said Charlie. When she had started hanging out with Cas she used to worry a lot because it was common for Cas to forget to do ‘normal’ stuff like eating, drinking water, sleeping or showering when he was nervous or focused on something; by this point she was used to it, so she was just happy to help her friend and in that moment she could help with food and listening to his problems.

 

“Thank you,” said Cas with a shy smile.

 

“Well, we’re here,” said Charlie. She parked next to a small place with windows displaying a huge variety of doughnuts and bread.

 

“The holy donut?” read Cas out loud, “sounds like a name Gabriel would put to a bakery just to upset our mother,”

 

“That’s exactly what I thought the first time I came to this place, c’mon, we need to feed you ASAP,” said Charlie with a big smile.

 

They walked into the coffee shop and Cas’s stomach immediately started to make loud noises when he smelled the place.

 

“It smells amazing,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah… c’mon lets go sit over there,” pointed Charlie. The place was almost empty since it was a Tuesday; there was a table with a group of college kids and another one with a young mother and her daughter sharing a slice of pie. For some strange reason Charlie picked a booth next to them. “This place has the best view,” she said.

 

Cas looked around and realized that you could see the counter perfectly from that place, so maybe that was what Charlie meant, a nice view of all the food on display.

 

They sat and read their menus while waiting for their waitress. Cas decided what he wanted and then closed his menu and placed it on the table; when he lifted his head he saw that Charlie was a little distracted staring at the counter; he looked on that direction and saw a beautiful woman with big eyes and brown hair on a bun; it took him a few seconds but then he understood what Charlie really meant when she said ‘this place has the best view.’

                                                                                       

“What’s her name?” asked Cas.

 

“Umm… Dorothy,” answered Charlie looking at Cas and blushing.

 

“You should ask her out,” said Cas with a smile.

 

“Are you crazy? She’s gorgeous and nice and everybody likes her… and I’m… just me…” said Charlie.  

 

“Charlie, I believe you’re the one that’s crazy,” said Cas confused, “You are talented, funny, brave, patient, loving… you are beautiful in the inside and the outside… really don’t you own a mirror at your house?” said Cas while holding Charlie’s hand.

 

“Oh my god, that was so beautiful,” interrupted a voice next to them. They turned their heads to the left only to find Dorothy standing by their table with a little notepad in her hand. Charlie let go of Cas’s hand immediately.

 

“What?” Asked Cas confused,

 

“What you just said to your wife, that was so sweet,” Charlie realized what was going on and she turned almost as red as her hair.

 

“Oh, no, no… she’s not… she’s not my wife… I … I’m married to someone else,” said Cas a little nervous. Charlie realized how that sounded, _‘great, now she thinks I’m his mistress or something,’_ she thought and she looked at Cas with an expression that clearly meant _‘what the hell are you doing?’_

“Oh,” said Dorothy. Cas wasn’t sure why but suddenly everything felt a little awkward.

 

“We’re… we’re not together,” said Charlie.

 

“Oh, that’s fine… I mean it’s not of my business; why don’t I take your order?” Answered Dorothy, she sounded a little upset.

 

“Yes please… I would like a lemonade and a chicken baguette,” answered Cas.

 

“Okay, and… for you?” said Dorothy looking at Charlie.

 

“Black coffee and a turkey sandwich please,” said Charlie.

 

“Great, I’ll be right back with your order,” said Dorothy before turning around.

 

Charlie watched her leave and walk into the kitchen.

 

“I feel a disturbance in the force,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, now she thinks I’m your mistress,” said Charlie leaning her forehead on the table.

 

“Oh… well, we can talk to her when she comes back with our food, I’m sorry Charlie,” said Cas.

 

“No, it’s okay… never mind, I mean I’ve only seen her a couple of times and I don’t even know if she’s gay so… lets just forget about this, okay?” said Charlie trying to relax.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yep, completely sure,” she said with confidence.

 

“Okay.”

 

They talked a little about work, 10 minutes later a waitress, who wasn’t Dorothy, arrived to their table with their food; they thanked her and avoided talking about Charlie’s crush while they enjoyed their food.

 

“This is great,” said Cas.

 

“Wait till you try the desserts,” said Charlie after taking a sip from her drink, “oh, by the way… you have food in your stomach now, wanna talk about Dean?”

 

Cas took another bite of his delicious baguette and then nodded.

 

“Dean wants us to have kids… and I don’t,”

 

“Wow… I wasn’t expecting that,” said Charlie.

 

“We talked about it, I told him my reasons and he said that he was okay with it but I know he wasn’t and it all became awkward after that, we barely spoke yesterday, we talked a little during dinner but he made really clear that he was still upset about the subject… and he went to bed early and pretended to be asleep when I wanted to talk… so I couldn’t sleep obviously,” Charlie kept listening in silence.

 

“Did you try to talk to him today?”

 

“No, I was sleepy and moody in the car and I didn’t feel like talking… to be honest I was 15 minutes away from a meltdown so I just sat there in silence and then he got upset and said that I shouldn’t stay up all night because it’s not healthy… long story short I got upset too because he said that, and I said, well I yelled, that maybe next time if he didn’t pretend to be asleep we could talk and I could sleep well without all those things troubling my head and then I got out of the car and walked to the office,”

 

“Wow… no wonder you seemed kinda weird this morning… wait, did you have a meltdown at the office, are you okay?” Charlie looked really worried.

  

“Almost, I was really tired so I sat in the small space between the couch and the wall and I fell asleep there,” admitted Cas; he was glad to have a friend like Charlie who didn’t judge him and was always willing to listen.

 

“But you’re okay now?” she asked looking at the Band-Aid in Cas’s hand.

 

“Apart from the fact that I yelled at my husband and then got out of his car and I haven’t talked to him during the whole day, yes, I’m fine,” said Cas rubbing his hand.

 

“Cas… this is huge… I mean… didn’t he know? That’s something you talk about at some point when you’re dating… is not like you just told him that you don’t like broccoli,”

 

“Charlie, we were best friends and lived together for years and we never realized we were in love with each other… that’s just how we are I guess… which I know is stupid because we always assume and then this kind of things happen and… I don’t know what to do…” he looked really worried.

 

“You need to sit down and act like the adults you are and talk and talk until you’ve said everything… you love him and he loves you, the only thing you want for each other is to be happy,” said Charlie.

 

“Yes, but… what if I can’t give him what he wants? What makes him happy… I can’t, really Charlie, the thought of having a child makes me sweat and feel like I need to sleep for a week… I’m not ready and I don’t think I’ll ever be… and I hate taking away his dreams just because of my mental issues… Lisa was right, I’ll never be able to give him what he really wants.”

 

“Okay, first… we need to get dessert because this conversation is pretty intense,” said Charlie while raising her hand to call their new waitress, “and second, you are his happiness Cas, you are his dreams… you are his everything Cas… don’t do this to yourself okay? I know it’s hard but you can’t let something that that freaking witch said like 5 years ago get into your mind…”

 

“What else can I do for you?” asked the waitress interrupting their conversation,

 

“Oh… I’ll have a cotton candy doughnut and… what’s the doughnut of the day?” asked Charlie,

 

“Brownie with salted caramel,” answered the waitress,

 

“Wow, how do you manage to come up with those awesome ideas?” asked Charlie, “anyway… I’ll have one of those too… and a refill of my coffee please,”

 

“I’ll have a black tea, a maple and bacon doughnut and… the doughnut of the day too please,” answered Cas; the waitress nodded and then left them to keep talking.

 

“You’re right Charlie… I’m allowing my brain to go to that dark place… and I don’t want to… I need to stop that; I’ve been 4 years without antidepressants… this is just… I … I think we’ve been acting like children, we really need to talk, like really talk… we’ve never had a fight in all these years together, at least not a big one, it sucks that our first big argument is for such a serious subject,”

 

“You’re not gonna fight Cas, like you said, you’re gonna act like the grown ups you are and you’re gonna talk,” Said Charlie.

 

“And what if we don’t come to an agreement, what happens if we both want different things,” said Cas.

 

“Cas, that won’t happen… but if it does… we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, okay?” said Charlie.

 

“Okay,” said Cas sadly. Right in that moment their waitress came back with their doughnuts and drinks.

* * *

Dean left the garage an hour later than usual, he checked his phone once again before leaving but still no sign of Cas; he was tempted to text him but he knew he needed to give him his space _, ‘I’ll wait another hour and if I don’t hear from him I’ll call Charlie’_ he concluded.

 

Once in his house he fed Nik and then played with him for a while. He kept checking his phone every 5 minutes; he felt stupid, he knew Cas was alright and that he was with Charlie, but he couldn’t help but feel worried; Castiel looked pretty upset earlier that day and Dean couldn’t stop thinking the word “meltdown”.

 

He grabbed a beer from the fridge and then he went upstairs to try and get distracted with TV.

 

He didn’t find anything good on TV so he turned it off and just sat on the couch drinking his beer and staring at the floor; when he was starting to get anxious his phone buzzed, he picked it up and saw a text from Charlie,

 

**I know he hasn’t texted you, he’s fine. We’re at a coffee shop.**

He relaxed as soon as he read that. Cas would probably spend another hour with Charlie so he had enough time to put in order his thoughts and think of what he wanted to say to Cas. He needed Cas to understand that he was the most important thing for him and that he didn’t care about anything else as long as Cas was happy and with him.

* * *

“I know I’m upset with Dean but I’m gonna be upset with myself too if I don’t buy him a couple of doughnuts, he needs to try these,” said Cas.

 

“And they have pecan pie too,” said Charlie smiling… “I’ll be right back Cas, I’ve been drinking a lot of coffee and I need to go to the ladies room,” said Charlie while standing up. Cas nodded and sank a little on his seat; the booths were really comfortable, this place really was designed to make you want to stay forever and keep eating and relaxing… he really needed to tell Gabe about this, it wasn’t a direct competence, but still.

 

Dorothy approached in that moment to pick up the dirty dishes and to see if everything was fine,

 

“What happened to the other waitress?” asked Cas.

 

“Her shift ended,” answered Dorothy.

 

“Oh,”

 

“Is there anything else I can help you with, sir?” she asked,

 

“Yes please, I would like a pecan pie and a box with 6 different flavors of doughnuts… to go please,”

 

“Do you want to pick the flavors of your doughnuts?” asked Dorothy politely,

 

“I’ll trust you, you’re the expert here, just add the specialties of the house, though make sure to add one of maple and bacon, my husband is going to love that one,” answered Cas, making emphasis in the word ‘husband’. Dorothy raised her eyebrows in surprise,

 

“I told you I was a married man… Charlie is just my friend you know? My best friend, and I couldn’t help but notice the way you were looking at her when we arrived,” said Cas. He wasn’t good with human expressions but to be honest, Dorothy looked at Charlie in the same way Gabe looked at chocolate, so he knew there was something going on there.

 

“Umm… so, there’s nothing between you two?” she asked to make sure.

 

“I told you, I’m married… to a man, whom I love with all my heart if I might add… Charlie is my best friend and I couldn’t understand why she was so insistent on bringing me here until I saw the way she looks at you too,” Cas was surprised with himself, he was turning out to be a pretty good wingman _‘does this count as being a wingman? I don’t know… I’ll ask Ash tomorrow,’_ he thought. Dorothy was trying to contain a smile and she was still blushing.

 

“Do you think she would give me her number if I ask?” she asked biting her lower lip.

 

“Yes, I’m pretty confident about that,” answered Cas with a smile.

 

“Could you do me a favor… umm?”

 

“Castiel… Cas,” he said.

 

“Could you do me a favor Cas? I’ll have your box with doughnuts and your pie ready to go and waiting for you on the counter,” she said pointing at the counter, “would you mind sending her to get them, I would really love to ask your friend on a date,” she said with confidence.

 

“Yes, I can do that,” said Cas, he looked in the direction of the restrooms to make sure that Charlie wasn’t coming back yet.

 

“Thanks a lot man, if she says yes I’m sending you two dozens of doughnuts to your office, I swear,” said Dorothy. Cas just smiled and watched as she walked back to the kitchen giving small jumps of happiness. A couple of minutes later Charlie came back from the bathroom.

* * *

Dean liked to relax sitting next to the pool, he always told Cas that it helped him think. He specially enjoyed it when he was sitting next to the pool while listening to his husband swim. Right now his husband wasn’t at the pool but he still decided to sit there and try to relax. He played again with Nik; the little dog was really excited and he kept bringing the ball back every time Dean threw it away.

 

He thought about what Cas had said to him on Saturday; he thought about what Bobby had said; he remembered his dad and how he left them because he wasn’t ready to take care of them; he thought about Jody and having to see her son die… he thought about his mom and how much he missed her. He lost track of time. The house was dark and the only light illuminating him was the one coming from the interior of the pool.

He didn’t care about anything; all he wanted was to talk to Cas, to forget about their fight and to go back to where it all was before Saturday.

* * *

“We should go,” said Charlie, “you look really tired and you still need to talk to Dean,”

 

“I know, Charlie… could you do me a favor… can you go and pick up the stuff I ordered to go?” asked Cas.

 

“Really?” Asked Charlie,

 

“Yes, I’m sitting down and I’m tired… I’m an old man,” said Cas.

 

“I’m sitting down too,” said Charlie.

 

“C’mon… I’ll pay dinner if you do it…” he insisted.

 

“Could you be more lazy?” asked Charlie laughing, ”okay, I’ll do it…” Cas handed her his wallet and remained sitting pretending to be more tired than what he really was. Charlie stood up and walked towards the counter.

 

He observed as Charlie and Dorothy interacted and stared at each other. He liked Dorothy, she seemed like a smart woman and really confident. While he was waiting for Charlie, a pair of middle-aged ladies sat on the booth next to Cas’s. He didn’t mean to overhear their conversation but they were talking very loud.

 

“We’re getting used to it, it’s weird having him living back with us after all these years… but it’s only temporary, at least it happened before spending a fortune in the damn wedding,” said one of the ladies.

 

“They were such a lovely couple… I still can’t believe what happened,” said the other one.

 

“Well, they wanted different things; my Roger wants to start a family and settle down, but May has always been honest with him, she’s not willing to stop doing what she loves to become a housewife and take care of a bunch of kids,”

 

“Guess she loves ballet more than she loves Roger,”

 

“That’s exactly what my poor Roger said… he’s really devastated…”

 

“He’ll get over it, that’s what men do, they can’t be alone for a long time, they always end up looking for someone else… I have a beautiful niece that I can introduce to him by the way,”

 

“Oh, that would be lovely,”

 

Cas grabbed his stuff and stood up, sometimes he really felt like the universe was playing cruel jokes on him; thought he also realized those ladies weren’t completely wrong.

 

Charlie noticed that Cas was walking towards her,

 

“Charlie, I’ll wait for you outside…I need fresh air, take your time,” said Cas with a smile. Dorothy winked at him and he just smiled. He left the coffee shop and leaned against Charlie’s car. Five minutes later Charlie came out of the store with a couple of paper bags and a huge smile on her face. Cas didn’t say anything he just observed her and climbed into the car when Charlie opened it.

 

It was only when they were at a red light a couple of blocks away from the shop that she turned to her right and smiled widely at Cas.

 

“You, are simply the best fucking friend in the entire world and I am so lucky of having you,” she said with excitement.

 

“What happened?” asked Cas smiling too.

 

“She said that you told her about your husband and then I just waited while she placed the doughnuts in the boxes and I thought it was gonna be filled with awkward silence but apparently my friend told her that he noticed the way she looked at me and also that I looked at her in the same way… so after a lot of blushing and exchanging phone numbers… I have a date this Saturday with that amazing woman and all thanks to you Cas,” explained Charlie.

 

“I’m glad I could help you,” answered Cas.

 

“I can’t believe it man, really… I can’t wait!”

 

They kept driving and Cas listened as Charlie told him more about Dorothy and her little interactions with her the previous times she had visited the coffee shop. Time passed pretty fast and soon Charlie was parking outside Cas’s house,

 

“See you tomorrow Cas, thanks for everything,” said Charlie. Cas smiled at her,

 

“I had a great time Charlie… I promise I’ll talk to Dean tonight, I’ll tell you everything tomorrow, okay?” he said.

 

“Good luck with that, remember he loves you and you love him and both of you deserve to be happy, okay?” she said.

 

“Yes,” said Cas while getting out of the car. He closed the door behind him and waved goodbye to Charlie.

* * *

Dean was so mesmerized observing the lights inside the pool and scratching Nik’s ear that he didn’t hear Cas opening the door.

 

Cas walked into the house and was caught by surprise to find that there wasn’t a single light on. He walked to the kitchen and placed his stuff on the counter. _‘Maybe Dean is still at work’_ he thought. He walked towards the garage door that was at the end of a small hallway next to the kitchen; he opened the door and saw baby was already there.

 

“Dean?” he asked but he got no response.

 

He walked back to the kitchen and then to the rest of the house turning on lights and looking for his husband, maybe he was already sleeping.

 

“Dean… are you home?” asked Cas again. This time he heard an answer,

 

“By the pool,” yelled Dean. Cas walked to the backyard and found Dean,

 

“Hi,” said Dean.

 

“Hello Dean,” said Cas standing a few feet away from his husband. Dean stood up and walked towards Cas.

“How are you feeling?” asked Dean; he realized in that moment that he wanted really bad to hug his husband.

 

“Fine… I didn’t have a meltdown… I know you were worried; I’m sorry for what happened this morning,” said Cas.

 

“Hey… it wasn’t your fault,” said Dean.

 

“I think we need to talk,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, we do… and this time we have to reach an agreement, we have to say everything that needs to be said, okay? I hate seeing you tired and worried because of me, you’re the most important thing in my life,” said Dean.

 

“I love you so much Dean,” said Cas.

 

“I love you too, Cas,” answered Dean.

 

“Lets go inside, I brought you doughnuts and pie,” suggested Cas. Dean smiled and followed Cas to the kitchen.

 

Dean grabbed a bottle of milk from the fridge and handed Cas a bottle of water. Cas handed him a fork and they say at the table. Dean tried the pie and smiled at Cas,

 

“This is great,” said Dean while reading the paper bag where the pie had been, “the holy donut, well their pie is nice, not as good as Gabe’s but pretty close,” he was clearly trying to break the tension. Cas cleared his throat and Dean noticed that he looked tired but mostly sad.

 

“You wanna talk first?” asked Dean.

 

“If you don’t mind,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, I’m listening,” said Dean; he placed his fork on the table and directed all his attention to his husband.

 

“Dean… I love you with all my heart and I’m so grateful for having you in my life. Every time I see you, the only thing that I can think of is that I want you to be happy. You’ve helped me so many times, you’ve been there for me always and I swear, if there’s someone in this universe who deserves to be happy and have the life he’s always wanted… that someone is you,” said Cas, his voice was starting to break and his eyes began to look teary, “and that’s why I’ve decided that… um… Dean, I want the divorce,” said Cas.

 

“What?” Said Dean in shock, “Let me get this straight, you want me to be happy so you want us to get divorced? I think I don’t get your concept of happiness Cas… and what the hell? How can you say it just like that? You brought me pie to make me feel better before telling me this? What the hell man?” Dean stretched his hand trying to grab Cas’s but Cas stood up and started pacing around the kitchen.

 

“I’ve made my decision Dean,” said Cas while scratching his hand. Dean stood up and walked towards his husband; Cas looked really anxious.

 

“Cas… I don’t get it… why do you want to do this?” asked Dean with tears rolling down his cheeks.

 

“It’s the logical thing to do, you want kids, you want a family and I don’t want that… but I want you to be happy, you’ll meet someone eventually and you’ll have your family and the life you always wanted and you’ll be happy,” explained Cas as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

 

“Cas, listen to me… I’m not going to love anyone else, ever… you are the one for me, remember? I need you to calm down, please,” said Dean.

 

“No Dean, I’m sorry… I’ve made my decision, I love you but that’s the logical thing to do,” said Cas.

 

“Okay… I’ll do it,” said Dean wiping off his tears; now it was Cas’s turn to cry silently, “I just want you to look me in the eye and tell me that you want this marriage to end and I’ll do it… I need to see it in your eyes,” Dean stood up in front of Cas and Castiel kept staring at the floor unable to look at his husband.

 

“Cas, how do I make you understand? I love you more than anything in this fucking world, you are my happiness, I’ll never love anyone else; you’re the only one… I love you and I don’t give a fuck if we don’t have kids… babe, I married you because of you, I wasn’t expecting anything else, just like you married me knowing that I talk with my mouth full and that I always forget to take out the trash… and …and sometimes I feel like I’m dreaming, I can’t believe that I got to marry the love of my life, I can’t believe that you love me too… please don’t tell me that this is just a dream… that’s my biggest fear Cas,” by this point both of them where sobbing.

 

“Dean, all I want is for you to be happy,” said Cas.

 

“Then don’t you ever tell me again those words, I’m not leaving you, okay? If you wanna end this marriage that’s just you… not me,” said Dean. Cas lifted his face and closed the distance between him and his husband; he hugged him tightly.

 

“I’m sorry Dean… I’m so sorry,” he kept repeating, “I don’t want to leave you,”

 

“Hey, you don’t need to apologize for anything, okay? You got scared with what I said and I get it… but I promise you Cas, having kids isn’t my biggest dream. It was just a suggestion and I know I got excited, I just let my imagination go, picturing all that, but I don’t care if we don’t become parents, really… because as easily as I imagined a reality where we have kids and stinky diapers… I can also imagine a perfect reality where you and I get old together and we’re always planning road trips and you’re super famous and I have to fly to be with you in your tours and I don’t give a fuck because my love for you is bigger than my fear of flying,”

 

“I like that reality,” said Cas smiling; Dean kissed his forehead and walked him towards the table.

 

“I like that too…” said Dean, “I love you so fucking much Cas, I’m sorry I acted that way,”

 

“Dean you didn’t do anything… you just expressed what you wanted… it’s not your fault that I have all this issues,” said Cas,

 

“Dude, I was a dick last night… I knew you wanted to talk and I ignored you because I didn’t know what to do… I’m an asshole, I mean I fell asleep knowing that you were next to me feeling like shit,”

 

“Like you said Dean, we were scared… I didn’t want this to turn into a big fight… the last time we had a big argument you left and we didn’t see each other for 2 months… it’s natural to be scared,” said Cas.

 

“Well, let’s promise that won’t happen again, okay? We were younger and freaking out and hiding our feelings that time…”

 

“Okay,” Said Cas.

 

“Never go to bed upset, remember?” asked Dean.

 

“You’re right,” said Cas with a little smile.

 

“Now Cas, I know you’ve had a rough day, you looked like you were about to have a meltdown this morning and you look like that right now too,” said Dean while helping Cas to take a seat.

 

“You’re gonna drink some water and then we’re going upstairs to take a nice hot shower, what do you say?” Asked Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Cas. Dean handed Cas his bottle of water and proceeded to clean the kitchen as fast as he could. Once Cas has finished his water, Dean held his hand and they walked upstairs.

 

* * *

Cas was really tired, he felt disconnected… he wasn’t even sure at what point Dean helped him undress and take a warm shower. He just let Dean take control of the situation and when he started to feel a little better he was in bed comfortably lying next to his husband.

 

“Thanks for everything Dean,” said Cas with a husky voice.

 

“Hey, it was nothing… I love taking care of you,” said Dean.

 

“I’m tired,” said Cas.

 

“Get some sleep babe, I’ll watch over you until you fall asleep, okay?” said Dean while holding his husband.

 

“Dean…” whispered Cas.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“ I think we just survived out first big argument as a married couple,”

 

“Yeah, we did… and you know what else?”

 

“What?”

 

“The best part of a fight is makeup sex,” said Dean.

 

“Hmm you’re right… can we wait a few hours, though? I promise it’ll be worth it,”

 

“Of course Cas,” answered Dean laughing.

 

“Don’t laugh Winchester… I promise you’ll be walking funny tomorrow when I’m done with you,” said Cas between yawns.

 

“Babe, you look so cute… trying to talk dirty but falling asleep at the same time,” said Dean; he was waiting to hear a comeback from Cas but instead he heard the light snores of his husband. He smiled and turned off the lights; it had been a really weird day but he was grateful it all was over and that they weren’t fighting anymore; he was also surprised that it all had ended so fast.

 

“Good night Cas, I love you,” said Dean before falling asleep too.

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it, I apologize por any mistake, remember that English isn't my first language and that i don't have a beta. 
> 
> Remember you can find me in my tumblr: the-11th-tardis.tumblr.com


	5. Is that a euphemism for lesbian sex?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas go on a road trip and they talk about the past. Charlie goes on a date with Dorothy and she couldn't be happier. Cas wins a bet and Benny is a responsible adult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back... I've been super busy with work (as usual) and then I went out of town and I didn't have decent internet where I was so I couldn't upload sooner.
> 
> I really want to keep working on the art for this but I don't have time right now... I didn't want to let more time pass so here's a new chapter. Remember that English isn't my first language and that I don't have a beta.
> 
> Enjoy and have a nice week!

* * *

 

July 14th

 

Charlie handed Cas a cup of black tea; they were at Cas’s office.

 

“Well you look less tired than yesterday but you still look like you could use some more sleep,” said the redhead.

 

“That’s because I could use some more sleep,” answered Cas.

 

“You’re not still fighting with Dean, are you?” she asked.

 

“Nope, we talked, we made up, I almost had a meltdown… we slept for a couple of hours and then we had ‘makeup sex’,” explained Castiel.

 

“Way to go, tiger,” said Charlie smiling.

 

“It’s really passionate and different… I believe it involves a lot of emotions, and possessiveness,” explained Cas.

 

“Cas, I love you and I love Dean but if you’re about to tell me about the hardcore sex you had last night… please don’t” said Charlie.

 

“Okay,” answered Cas with a smile.

 

* * *

The weekend after their argument, they decided to pack their bags and go on a road trip. Dean would have loved to just drive without plans, just enjoying the road and the adventure; but he knew that Cas wasn’t a big fan of non planned events, so they decided to drive to Lawrence, Kansas. Dean hadn’t visited his parents’ graves in almost three years so he suggested that Lawrence would be a good destination for the weekend.

 

They left on Friday afternoon after leaving Nik at Chuck’s; Dean drove while Cas told him about his day at his office and how excited Charlie was about her date with Dorothy next day. They talked a lot about everything and nothing, it felt great to be like that, it reminded them of their time in college, when Dean would drive them back to Sioux Falls during holidays and they would spend the time talking and joking.

 

“Remember the first summer we came back home from college?” asked Cas suddenly,

 

“Yeah, the heat was awful and you were moody most of the ride,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Well, you know how much I hate hot weather, I still can’t believe I survived to California all those years,” answered Cas.

 

“Was that road trip the one when we drove to a random lake and spent the day there?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes, it was that time… I loved that day, I love routine but being your friend sometimes encouraged me to dare to live little adventures, like that one… We spent an extra day on the road, but it was worth it…” answered Castiel.

 

“I think I never told you this… but that day is one of my favorites… man, you looked so hot… and the day was so perfect, we slept on a blanket next to the lake looking at the stars, and we were only in our trunks… and you told me random facts about space and lakes… it was perfect,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Yes, I remember,” Cas was smiling too.

 

“That night I barely slept, you looked so hot under the moonlight… I spent hours just looking at you,”

 

“You totally touched yourself, didn’t you?” asked Cas casually.

 

“Yessir,” answered Dean winking at Cas.

 

“I still don’t understand how did we manage to go all those years without noticing each others feelings… and sexual attraction,” said Cas.

 

“I was too busy trying to hide my feelings from you and you were to busy trying to hide your sexuality from the entire world… so yeah, I think we got a little distracted,”

 

“College was weird, it was exhausting… hiding my sexual orientation, my feelings for you… trying to ‘act cool’ whenever you went on a date with someone,” said Cas,

 

“Oh, c’mon is not like I went on a date every weekend,” said Dean rolling his eyes.

 

“You went on 54 dates with 10 different people during our whole college experience. You also had a formal girlfriend for two weeks and then there was Aaron,” said Cas.

 

“God bless your eidetic memory,” joked Dean, “I still remember when Bobby met Aaron, he was so not team Aaron,”

 

“No one was team Aaron, Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, he was a kinky bastard,” said Dean.

 

“Dean, I’m really not interested in hearing about your sexual experiences with other people,” said Cas.

 

“Got it,” said Dean, “I wish I hadn’t dated all those people though… I mean, some of them were great, but they weren’t you… and most of the time I felt guilty… believe me, it’s not cool to kiss a person when you’re thinking about someone else, it just doesn’t feel right,” said Dean. Cas remained silent for a couple of seconds.

 

“I know,” he said. Dean kept driving with his eyes fixed on the road, they were making good time, they’ll probably be in Lawrence by 10 pm; he was glad that everything was back to normal with Cas, they were talking casually about their past and they weren’t upset, it really was like the old times, and it was great and… _‘wait, did Cas just said that he knew what it was like to kiss someone and… oh my God,’_

 

“Cas… what did you mean when you said ‘I know’?” asked Dean,

 

“Well you said that it feels wrong to kiss a person while you’re thinking about someone else and I agreed, it’s not a pleasant experience,” said Cas.

 

“Don’t leave me out of context here man, I’m starting to imagine things and I’m getting scared,” said Dean.

 

“You want me to elaborate?” asked Cas.

 

“Yes please,” said Dean a little concerned.

 

“Remember Louis Knott, from college?” asked Cas.

 

“Red hair, really tall?” asked Dean, Cas nodded, “He had classes with you right? He once asked me if you and I were dating,” said Dean.

 

“Well… I kissed him once,” said Cas.

 

“Excuse you?” said Dean surprised.

 

“I kissed him once, I was really high and drunk and lonely and he had been insisting on buying me coffee sometime… so that night I accepted and we went for coffee and then when he walked me back to our place… I kissed him,” explained Cas.

 

“Okay… first of all I need to apologize, now I understand how you feel whenever I mention any of my previous relationships… second, Cas I’m really not interested in hearing about your kissing experiences with other people,” said Dean imitating Cas’s phrase from a few minutes before.

 

“Okay,” said Cas with a smile.

 

5 minutes later Dean couldn’t fight his curiosity and talked again,

 

“Was there tongue?” he asked,

 

“What?” asked Cas,

 

“With Louis, was it like a real kiss or just a peck,” asked Dean.

 

“I thought you didn’t want to know about the subject,” said Cas confused.

 

“Well, I’m curious,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, there was… for like 2 seconds and then I realized it was a mistake and I apologized and he left,” said Cas.

 

“Did you like it?”

 

“It was nice, it was my first kiss Dean… it was special I guess,”

 

“You know what… shut up… I changed my mind, I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Cas.

 

“Damn, I spent all these years thinking I was your first everything,” said Dean.

 

“Well, you were my first in every sexual experience if it makes you feel any better,” said Cas.

 

“Damn right it does… I popped your cherry… take that Louis Knott!” said Dean smiling widely.

 

“Such a romantic,” said Cas rolling his eyes.

 

“No but seriously… why didn’t you tell me? I mean in college I get it, you were trying to hide that you were gay, but we’ve been together for 5 years… how did this never came up?” asked Dean.

 

“Because it happened that hideous night when… when you found me in the bathroom,” said Cas.

 

“Oh,” said Dean.

 

“Please tell me you weren’t trying to kill yourself because of an asshole called Louis Knott,” said Dean.

 

“I don’t know how many times I need to tell you this, but I wasn’t going to kill myself… I was just going to cut myself,” said Cas, “and it wasn’t for that guy… it just… life was a lot in that moment, I wanted to feel something that’s all,” said Cas.

 

“I know you weren’t going to kill yourself Cas … and I know I overreacted that time but man, you scared the shit out of me… you looked like a zombie and had a razor blade in your hands,” explained Dean.

 

“I know… I’m sorry… you’ve definitely have seen me at my best and my worst,” said Cas smiling.

 

“That’s what happens when you’ve been in someone’s life for so long,” said Dean; “and now, look at us, a couple of mature young adults able to talk about their feelings and their past romantic experiences,”

 

“I really doubt Louis counted as a romantic experience,” said Cas rolling his eyes.

 

“Oh, c’mon he was the first guy who kissed you,” said Dean smiling,

 

“No, he wasn’t… technically I kissed him… you were the first guy who kissed me,” said Cas.

 

“I’m gonna put that on a shirt,” said Dean smiling.

 

They kept talking and joking until they arrived to their destination. Cas had booked a room in a nice hotel and as soon as they arrived to their room they fell asleep. Dean woke up a few hours later to find Cas watching a movie and having dinner.

 

“There’s pizza,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Awesome,” said Dean he got out of bed and joined Cas at the small table of their room.

 

“I think this weekend will be good for us,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean, “we should do this more often… hit the road, just the two of us… and maybe Nik if he doesn’t puke on the backseat,”

 

“I would love that,” said Cas. Dean smiled at him and held his hand.

* * *

 

July 19th

 

“Hi Cas, how was your weekend?” asked Benny. They were at Kraken’s kitchen.

 

“It was great, thanks for asking… how about yours?” asked Cas while pouring tea in his favorite mug,

 

“I finally found a perfect apartment, it has three rooms so I can have a studio and Jake can have his own room when he comes to visit… and it’s close to the office and to Andrea’s so I’m moving in on Friday,” said Benny,

 

 

“That sounds great, Dean and I could help you if you need assistance,” offered Cas.

 

“Sounds great Cas, but I don’t own any furniture, I decided to leave all that at Andrea’s, I don’t want to fight about material shit with her… so I’ll buy everything new,” explained Benny,

 

“You’re handling your divorce pretty well Benny,” said Cas.

 

“Well, Andrea and I only want the best for our son, if that means acting like decent human beings it’s not that big of a sacrifice,”

 

“You’re right,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, hi Cas… there you are,” said Charlie walking into the kitchen carrying two boxes of doughnuts,

 

“What the hell is that?” Asked Benny,

 

“Well, Cas here, got me a date with an awesome girl and she happens to own a coffee shop… apparently she promised Cas that if he helped her to get my number and I accepted to go on a date with her… she would send Cas a couple of these boxes,” explained Charlie.

 

“Wait, Dorothy owns the place?” asked Cas surprised.

 

“Yep… I had no idea, she told me yesterday,” said Charlie.

 

“I thought your date with her was on Saturday,” said Cas. Charlie smiled at them and wiggled her eyebrows.

 

“Wow,” said Cas.

 

“I have a lot to tell you my young Padawan, I’m buying lunch today,” said Charlie with a huge smile.

 

“Okay,” said Cas smiling. Charlie handed the doughnuts to Cas,

 

“I guess I’ll leave one for the office and I’ll take one home,” said Cas.

 

“Well in that case, if you don’t mind,” said Benny staring at the box. Cas laughed and placed the box at the table so everyone could try the delicious doughnuts.

* * *

 

Charlie drove them to an Indian restaurant for lunch. They ordered and chatted happily while enjoying their food,

 

“And then we visited the cemetery and it was nice actually, Dean talked to his parents and we just sat there for a while, I think he needed that,” said Cas, “Dean showed me every place he used to visit when he lived there and we talked a lot basically, it was like going back to college, we talked without judging, drove around in the car and had a lot of fun… we’re planning on going on road trips more often,”

 

“I’m glad that everything’s cool between you two again,” said Charlie.

 

“Okay, enough about me, I told you everything I did this weekend, now it is your turn,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Well, it was something else… it had been a while since I had a date so I was really nervous, I spent the whole morning of Saturday trying to find something to wear,” confessed Charlie,

 

“You really must be interested in Dorothy,” said Cas.

 

“Yep… well she called me around 2 and told me that there was a change of plans and I thought she was going to cancel our date but it turned out her family has an old farm outside the city and she wanted to take me there instead of to a boring restaurant because, and I quote ‘you look like the kind of girl who loves adventures,’ so she just told me to wear something comfortable and bring a change of clothes because she was taking me for a ride on her bike,” said Charlie.

 

“Is that a euphemism for lesbian sex?” asked Cas; Charlie snorted,

 

“I think she was talking literally Cas… I’m not that kind of lady… I mean, I can be, but in this case, I really, really like her and I didn’t want to ruin it with sex on the first date,” said Charlie,

 

“So you didn’t have sex then?” asked Cas.

 

“You’re skipping way ahead of the story… as I was saying, she called me and then I packed a bag with clean clothes and all the stuff I might need. I dressed normal I guess, and it was the perfect choice because I had no idea of how dirty your clothes end after a ride on a bike in the countryside,” said Charlie, “we had a picnic and it was amazing… we have a lot in common, though she’s not a geek so it was kinda weird, but I like that … I like that we’re so different and so alike at the same time… she spent the last 7 years traveling around the world but she came back 8 months ago after her dad died and left her everything he owned. She opened the coffee shop and she wants to keep the old farm running, she actually spends all her weekends there and they have a lot of animals… there’s people running the place but she likes to go and make sure that everything is fine, just like her father taught her,”

 

“She sounds really nice,” said Cas,

 

“She is, she told me she couldn’t stop looking at me since the first time I visited the shop and then when se thought that you and I were together she felt really bad… and well, we had an incredible time, we stayed out and watched the stars while drinking wine and we talked a lot, it is so easy to talk to her, she knows a lot about everything but she never brags about it, she’s so humble and kind and adventurous and smart and… fuck, I think I’m falling for her…” said Charlie.

 

“I haven’t seen you like this before,” said Cas, “I’m happy for you,”

 

“I feel really happy… we slept under the stars and nothing happened like I said; she cooked me breakfast in the morning and then she took me home… and I spent like half an hour jumping an laughing like a maniac after she left, then I took a shower and I was getting ready to go outside and buy something to eat when someone knocked on my door and it was her… she said that Saturday had been our first date, then Sunday morning counted as our second date when she cooked me breakfast and then she said that if I accepted to grab something to eat with her then it would be our third date and we had lunch together; after that she drove me to her coffee shop to give me your boxes of doughnuts and then she told me about your agreement… and then when she drove me back home she walked me to the door and we kissed and it was amazing,”

 

“And when are you seeing her again?” asked Cas.

 

“Well she’ll be a little busy this week because she’s taking a business class so she can learn to run her business and the farm properly… but we have a date on Friday night!”

 

“Charlie, you look so happy I’m really glad for you… really,” said Cas.

 

“I owe you everything Cas, thanks a lot for talking to her, I know how much you hate talking to strangers but thanks to you she asked me out,”

 

“Charlie, you’re my best friend, I would do anything to make you happy,” said Cas.

 

“Thanks Cas,” said Charlie with a huge smile.

 

“Just remember that Jill said they’re coming this weekend… in case you wanted to spend the whole weekend with Dorothy,”

 

“Nope, in fact I think I would love to introduce them, you already like her and you actually helped me with her, but I want to know Jill’s opinion too,” said Charlie.

 

“She’s going to love her, don’t worry,” said Cas.

* * *

 

 

Dean and Cas were lying next to each other on bed, naked and still a little agitated after their lovemaking.

 

“Dean,” said Cas with a hoarse voice.

 

“Yeah babe?” asked Dean.

 

“We really should get up and take a shower,”

 

“What? Don’t you want to go for round number two?” asked Dean.

 

“Dean, I’m pretty sure that was round number two,” answered Cas chuckling.

 

“Oh right, forgot about what happened in the kitchen,” said Dean smiling, “well if you give me five more minutes we could try it again,” he said with confidence.

 

“Dean, I love you but it’s 11:35 pm on a Monday, we should really take a shower and go to bed, at this rate I’m always going to look tired at the office… I heard one of the new interns saying that they believe I’m a vampire,” said Cas sitting up.

 

“Okay, you have a point there, c’mon… maybe we can have round three in the shower,” said Dean; he stood up and stretched while walking towards their bathroom; Cas stood up too and followed him.

* * *

 

After their shower, Cas stood in front of the mirror and kept looking at his face. Dean finished drying himself and after wrapping his towel around his waist he stood behind Cas,

 

“Everything okay?” asked Dean,

 

“I was just wondering… how does the face of a person in love looks like?” asked Cas curiously.

 

“Why? You think you might be in love?” asked Dean smiling; he got closer to his husband and kissed him on the neck, then he looked at their reflection on the mirror.

 

“Well, I’m pretty sure I’m in love with you, but my face always looks the same I think, except for when I’m sad… Michael used to say that I always look like a scared mouse, but that’s not the point… I think Charlie is falling in love with Dorothy and I was wondering if it is possible to display that in a physical way, does your face change? I know your mood changes and your serotonin levels increase but…”

 

“It’s kinda hard to explain… I mean, Bobby says that I look at you the same way I look at pie or baby… except that he sees even more love in my eyes…” said Dean.

 

“So it’s something in the eyes then?” asked Cas.

 

“Well for example… look at my eyes, what do you see?” asked Dean.

 

“They’re a beautiful shade of green, that’s actually my favorite color,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, okay… wrong way to try to explain this to an Aspie… wait I have an idea, c’mon,” Dean grabbed Cas by the hand and pulled him back to their room; he grabbed a photo album from their bookcase and then opened it,

 

“What are you doing?” asked Cas,

 

“I’m looking for some pictures to explain it to you,” said Dean. Cas nodded and proceeded to grab a pair of clean boxer briefs while he waited for Dean to find what he was looking for. Since Dean was still busy with the album Cas used that time to change the sheets from their bed; after that, he sat on his side of the bed and waited for Dean,

 

“Okay, here,” said Dean handing Cas three different pictures,” while Cas looked at the pictures Dean put on a pair of boxer briefs and then sat next to Cas,

 

“Okay…” said Cas,

 

“Look at this picture,” said Dean pointing at a picture of them on the beach, Cas was sitting down on a towel drawing on a notebook and he looked really focused on his task; Dean was sitting next to him looking at Cas as if he was the most precious thing in the world. After showing Cas that picture he showed him one of Cas, Charlie and Dean eating pizza while painting the new offices of Kraken; Both Dean and Charlie were looking at Cas but there was something different about the way Dean looked at him.

 

“I think I’m starting to understand… Bobby is right, it is almost the same face you make when you look at pie but there’s something different about your eyes,” said Cas, “is this the way I look at you?”

 

Dean grabbed the last picture and showed it to Cas; it was an old picture; they were 20 years old; they were sitting on the hood of the impala. It was a sunny day and Dean was drinking from a bottle of beer… Cas observed the picture meticulously and when he saw his face he couldn’t help but smile… the way he was looking at Dean was something else, now he understood why people always assumed they were together.

 

“Wow,” whispered Cas.

 

“That’s the face of someone in love… or maybe you were thirsty and wanted a drink of my beer,” said Dean,

 

“No, I definitely was thinking how lucky I was for having you by my side,” said Cas.

 

“Really?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes, that summer your friends from college invited you to a camping trip but you said no, because you already had plans… spending your whole summer with your best friend and your brother… and you didn’t want to miss a single day,” said Cas.

 

“Well obviously, why would I want to miss this handsome face for even a single day,” said Dean planting a kiss on Cas’s cheek. Cas smiled at his husband.

 

“We should sleep,” said Cas yawning and placing the pictures on his bedside table; they got under the covers and turned off the lights; Cas was getting comfortable using his husband’s chest as a pillow when Dean talked again,

 

“So you really think Charlie is falling in love, isn’t it too soon?” he asked,

 

“She looked so happy today, she had an amazing weekend with Dorothy, I’ve never seen her like that before,” answered Cas.

 

“I’m really happy for her, she deserves to have someone in her life,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, she does, she’s such a good person,” said Cas, “by the way, she’s having dinner with us tomorrow… she said she can’t handle this infernal heat anymore and she needs our pool to survive,”

 

“Cool, we can have a barbecue and watch movies outside,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, that sounds great,” said Cas with a big yawn.

 

“Okay, time to sleep,” said Dean, “good night babe, thanks for tonight,”

 

“Good night Dean, I love you,” said Cas.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this! Next chapter is already written... I'll wait a few days to upload it though... 
> 
> Here's a little preview:
> 
> “Uncle Dean!” they heard Tegan yelling. The little girl ran until she basically crashed against Dean’s knees. 
> 
> “Hey there Teg, how ya doing?” asked Dean.
> 
> “I’m fine… I’m hungry, can I have a cookie?” she asked staring at Dean with her big hazel eyes.
> 
> “Can’t you wait for breakfast? It’ll be ready in like 20 minutes,” said Dean.
> 
> “No-oh … I can’t, I really need a cookie,” She said with puppy eyes.
> 
> “Jesus… you’re better at that than your uncle Sammy,” said Dean laughing, “okay but only one cookie and you’re gonna have to eat extra fruit for breakfast, okay?” Tegan considered it for a few seconds and then she nodded.
> 
> “Okay,” she said finally. 
> 
> “Fine,” said Dean. He walked towards the pantry where they kept all their junk food and grabbed a cookie for Tegan, “there you go, just make sure your brother’s don’t see you eating that,” said Dean winking. Tegan put the cookie in her pocket and ran towards the living room.


	6. Don’t be scared… nothing’s going to happen, okay?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael and his family are in town for the week. Cas is an awesome friend; Jill is worried about her family and Cas doesn't know if he can trust his oldest brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! I'm back! It's freaking 2:55 am right now but I didn't want to go to bed without uploading this.   
> I hope you like it, thanks a lot for reading and for your comments. I know it's going a little slowly but I wanted you to get to know the 'new' characters a little more before the drama. Angst is coming though, you can be sure of that.
> 
> Again, I apologize ... English isn't my first language, I don't have a beta and I'm freaking falling asleep as I write this.

* * *

 

July 24th

 

“Cas… C’mon wake up,” said Dean playing with his husband’s hair,

 

“hmmpf… no,” said Cas with his face buried in his pillow.

 

“Your family is waiting for us,” said Dean laughing,

 

“Can I take the bed with me?” asked Cas turning his head to his right to look at his husband,

“You’re lazy,” said Dean.

 

“I’m not,” said Cas closing his eyes,

 

“Babe, c’mon I already showered… you need to get out of bed,” said Dean. Cas sat up rubbing his eyes and looking like he was working on autopilot.

 

“Okay, new rule…” said Cas yawning; he got out of bed and stretched exposing his naked body to his husband; Dean got a little distracted,

 

“What new … rule?” he asked,

 

“No more sex on Friday nights, if you want me to get up early on Saturdays that’s the solution,” said Cas while walking towards the bathroom.

 

“Oh babe, c’mon that’s not fair,” said Dean right after Cas closed the door of the bathroom.

* * *

 

 

They were walking into the garage when Dean’s phone rang,

 

“Hey, what’s up?” He answered,

 

“Hey Dean-o listen, Mike was being kind of a jerk and we didn’t want him ruining our fun so we kinda left him at the house and now we’re on our way to your place, is that okay? I already have the waffles,” explained Gabriel on the other side of the phone.

 

“So we’re having breakfast here, then?” Asked Dean stopping next to his Car. Cas stood next to his husband looking at him and wondering what was going on.

 

“Yeah, I mean if you don’t mind,” said Gabe sounding a little apologetic,

 

“Yeah… I mean, of course… is not like we see Jill and the kids everyday, you can totally come over,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, we’ll be there in 5… you better start coffee,” said Gabe before hanging up.

 

“What happened?” asked Cas once Dean turned around to look at him.

 

“Well… Gabe says Mike was being an asshole so they’re moving family breakfast here and they left him at your dad’s” said Dean.

 

“Wow,” said Cas.

 

“Hey babe, I know you don’t like sudden changes of plans but, this is our family,” said Dean.

 

“No, I’m fine with this… it’s just weird; Jill always condones Michael’s attitude... he must have said something pretty awful for her to get mad,” said Cas.

 

“Well, they’ll be here in a couple of minutes so we can ask her… Do you mind starting coffee and tea, I’m gonna make a quick run to the store to get fruit and eggs,” said Dean. Cas smiled and nodded, and Dean kissed him on the cheek and then climbed into his car.

 

“I won’t take long; love you,” said Dean waiting for the garage door to open.

* * *

 

“Want me to help with something?” asked Jill while carrying a twin in each arm.

 

“I think I should be the one asking that question,” said Cas taking Alan from Jill’s arm.

 

“Wow, they’re getting heavier, how do you do this?” Asked Cas,

 

“I don’t even notice to be honest,” said Jill smiling, “so… anyway thanks for letting us have family breakfast here,”

 

“It’s fine… I love you and the kids Jill, you’re welcome in our house anytime,” said Cas.

 

“Uncle Dean!” they heard Tegan yelling. The little girl ran until she basically crashed against Dean’s knees.

 

“Hey there Teg, how ya doing?” asked Dean.

 

“I’m fine… I’m hungry, can I have a cookie?” she asked staring at Dean with her big hazel eyes.

 

“Can’t you wait for breakfast? It’ll be ready in like 20 minutes,” said Dean.

 

“No-oh … I can’t, I really need a cookie,” She said with puppy eyes.

 

“Jesus… you’re better at that than your uncle Sammy,” said Dean laughing, “okay but only one cookie and you’re gonna have to eat extra fruit for breakfast, okay?” Tegan considered it for a few seconds and then she nodded.

 

“Okay,” she said finally.

 

“Fine,” said Dean. He walked towards the pantry where they kept all their junk food and grabbed a cookie for Tegan, “there you go, just make sure your brother’s don’t see you eating that,” said Dean winking. Tegan put the cookie in her pocket and ran towards the living room with Bert and Nik following right behind.

 

Gabe and Dean prepared breakfast pretty fast after that; Jill, Chuck and Cas took care of the kids and after 15 minutes everything was ready. They sat at the dinning room and enjoyed their family breakfast.

 

“Jill, you look tired… I’ll take care of Al and Gabe can feed Len, okay?” suggested Dean.

 

“It’s okay Dean… I’m always tired, that’s what happens when you have 3 kids,” she said.

 

“Well, this week is for you to relax… so we’re taking care of the kids and you’re doing whatever you want… I just texted Charlie, she’s joining us in a while and she said she’ll bring a swimsuit for you… I’m telling you… today you can relax and rest and forget about everything,” Insisted Dean,

 

“Thank you so much you guys,” said Jill smiling. Dean grabbed Alan from Jill’s lap and Gabe took Leonard.

 

They enjoyed their breakfast while Cas and Chuck told them more details about the new book. Gabe told them about his plans to buy the house next to his bakery to make it bigger and maybe finally move out of his father’s house.

 

Dean fed Al without trouble, since he already knew that Alan only tolerated apples, bananas, watermelon and strawberries he made sure of only putting those in his bowl. Tegan ate a big plate of fruit and then a couple of mini waffles. They spent an awesome morning and even though Cas and Dean were really curious about Mike, they didn’t dare to ask, especially because they didn’t want to talk about him in front of the kids.

 

Once they finished breakfast Chuck took the kids to the TV room to watch some cartoons. Gabe and Cas washed the dishes while Jill just sat and relaxed at the table with Dean.

 

“So, Jill… I don’t want to be rude or anything but I really meant it when I said that you look tired, are you okay?” asked Dean.

 

“I just… Michael is about to leave to LA for his interview and we were supposed to have a nice weekend with our family and everything but yesterday he had dinner with his mother and every time he comes back from one of their meetings he turns into another person… usually I don’t care but I guess there’s been a lot going on lately so yesterday when he came back from dinner acting like an idiot I kinda exploded and we had a huge fight,” she explained.

 

“Wow, I didn’t know things were like this… you always look so happy,” said Dean.

 

“I know he stresses a lot when he’s out of his comfort zone… he’s stressed because of his freaking interview… the problem is that he acts like an ass with me and the kids, and I mean… I’m an adult, I married him knowing that he could be difficult sometimes but when he acts like that with the kids I just lose it,”

 

“Jill, are you and my brother going to divorce?” Asked Cas clearly worried.

 

“No Cas, I love him with all my heart… he’s an incredible man when he’s not acting like a 13 year old… I really wish he gets that job, it’s going to be great for him to live away from his mother… and to go to a bigger city with more open minded people,”

 

“Yeah, mom has that effect on people,” said Gabe. They al remained in silence for a while,

 

“I quit my job a couple of days ago,” she said suddenly.

 

“Wow, really… why?” asked Dean.

 

“Lots of reasons really… I want to spend more time with the kids, I was always busy and staying extra hours at the office… lately I’ve been feeling really tired and I just think I needed a rest from all that,” she explained.

 

“Hey, that’s okay… Michael is gonna get that job in LA and you won’t have to work again if you don’t wanna…” said Dean.

 

“I really hope so… I mean, I like having a job... and I want to find another one eventually; but for now, I really want to spend more time with the kids,” she said with a sad look.

 

Charlie walked into the kitchen with a backpack and huge smile.

 

“Hello ladies!” she said, “Jill I love you but you look tired as fuck… so c’mon we’re gonna get into that Jacuzzi and relax while the men take care of the kids,”

 

Jill laughed and hugged Charlie, “you know what? That’s exactly what I need.”

* * *

 

 

“Hey, what happened really this morning?” Asked Dean sitting by the pool next to Gabe; Cas was upstairs helping Chuck with the kids.

 

“ I don’t know man… they arrived yesterday a little after 5… he called mom and they went to grab dinner… I mean, to be honest he already looked pissed when they arrived and Jill looked like she had been crying… and well this morning they were arguing I didn’t catch much because I took the kids outside to walk Bert so they didn’t have to listen to the fight… but from what I could hear… I think they were talking about Cas… I heard Michael yell something about Asperger’s and then Jill told him that he was and asshole and he didn’t deserve his family,” explained Gabriel.

 

“I swear to God… your brother is an idiot… first of all I don’t understand why he hates Cas so much… and second, Jill is an incredible person, she’s amazing… she puts up with his shit, she has given him 3 kids… oh, and she puts up with his shit!” said Dean clearly upset but taking care of not raising his voice so Jill and Charlie couldn’t hear him.

 

“I think the same… but we can’t intervene in their business man… I think she’s right… he looks stressed,”

 

“If he doesn’t change his attitude soon I’m gonna give him a real reason to feel stressed,” said Dean.

 

Right in that moment they could hear the sound of small feet running towards them,

 

“I won uncle Cas!” yelled Tegan,

 

“Yes you did,” said Cas standing next to the glass door and pretending to be very tired,

 

“Hey there Teg… where are your brothers?” asked Dean while placing his niece on his lap,

 

“Sleeping… I didn’t fall asleep because I’m a big girl,” she said with pride.

 

“Yes you are… are you ready to swim?” asked Cas grabbing her from Dean’s lap; she giggled and clapped in excitement,

 

“I wanna fly uncle Cas… make me fly!” she said. Cas considered it for a few seconds but he was pretty sure that the ‘flying thing’ was something Dean had with the kids,

 

“I’m still tired from all the running sweetie but I’m pretty sure uncle Dean can help you with your flying lessons,” said Cas placing her back in the ground. Dean stood up and happily did the flying routine; he carried Tegan over his head and ran in circles in the backyard while the little girl yelped in excitement.

 

After all the flying and applying a lot of sunscreen, Dean, Cas, Gabe and Tegan got in the pool to keep having an amazing time.

 

An hour later Chuck joined them in the backyard carrying Alan with his right arm while Leonard walked clumsily holding his left hand.

 

“Wow Len, you’ve almost mastered the art of walking,” said Dean when he saw them. Leonard giggled and Alan hid his face on his grandpa’s chest. Dean and Cas got out of the pool to help Chuck; Gabe stayed in the pool taking care of Tegan.

 

“Wanna swim kiddos?” asked Dean.

 

“Jill, can the kids get into the pool?” said Chuck a little loudly. Jill looked at her kids and smiled, it was a hot day and they probably would love the pool.

 

“Sure, I left their special diapers and the swim trunks in a bag inside… make sure they wear sunscreen and their hats please,” she said.

 

“I’ll take care of it,” said Cas. He walked inside the house and a few minutes later we returned carrying the bag Jill had mentioned.

 

“C’mon kiddos, let’s get you ready for the pool party,” said Dean.

 

15 minutes later the twins were wearing their outfits. Alan’s hat and swim trunks were blue, while Leonard’s were red.

 

“You sure you don’t wanna join us?” asked Dean to Chuck,

 

“Maybe later, I have a few phone calls to make,” said Chuck with an apologetic look.

 

“Do you need my assistance?” asked Cas,

 

“No, it’s fine Cas, you guys have fun, I’ll be inside away from this hideous weather,” said Chuck. Dean snorted; Chuck really hated being outside when it was hot.

* * *

 

 

So Jill… what’s the real deal here? I’m not stupid, there’s something else bothering you,” said Charlie,

 

“What do you mean?” asked Jill,

 

“You look tired… want some coffee,”

 

“No, thanks… I’m fine, really,” said Jill while yawning,

 

“Maybe something to help you sleep then, glass of wine?” insisted Charlie,

 

“I’m not really in the mood, I think I’m sticking to lemonade Charlie, thanks,” said Jill looking a little pale.

 

“Dude… you declining coffee and booze, are you okay?” Jill remained silent for almost a minute,

 

“Holly TARDIS! You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” Asked Charlie,

 

“Don’t tell anyone yet… please,” said Jill.

 

“OMG! You are! ...How long do you…?” asked Charlie pointing at Jill’s stomach.

 

“I don’t know… I’m not even sure if I am, I’m only a week late but… since we don’t use protection because I’m married to Mr. ‘we’ll leave it to God to decide how many kids we have,’ I can’t rule it out…”

 

“And how are you feeling?” asked Charlie,

 

“I don’t know… I really hope he gets the job in LA… we’ll need the money now more than ever if I’m having another kid,”

 

“Don’t worry… maybe God will send you money too,” said Charlie joking,

 

“I’m totally telling him that the next time he refuses to wear a freaking condom,” said Jill laughing. They laughed for a few seconds until they heard a little kid yelling “NO!”

* * *

 

Cas made sure once again that Leonard was safely tied to his seat in Chuck’s van. The three kids were sound asleep after a day of fun and the Novak’s clan was ready to go back to Chuck’s.

 

“Drive safe you old man,” said Bobby standing next to Dean and Jody.

 

“Will do,” said Chuck smiling,

 

“It was great seeing you guys and the kids,” said Jody,

 

“We had a great time Jody, thanks for everything… we’ll be staying for the rest of the week, we should do something,” said Jill looking a little more relaxed than when she arrived for breakfast,

 

“Totally, give me a call… I would love to spend a nice evening with you and Charlie… Bobby can take care of the kids,” said Jody winking.

 

“Oh, I already love the plan,” said Jill laughing. Chuck started the car and everybody said goodbye again. Cas, Dean, Bobby and Jody waved goodbye and stood in the sidewalk until they saw the car turn in the corner.

 

“Man, I really need to sleep,” said Dean yawning,

 

“It’s too early son… the night is young and I have a hot date tonight… it was nice seeing you guys,” said Bobby with a big smile.

 

“Have fun you two… be safe,” said Dean smiling. He loved seeing Bobby so happy.

 

“Bye guys, thanks for everything,” said Jody after hugging them. They parted ways, Bobby and Jody walking to their left while Dean and Cas opened their gate and walked back into their home.

* * *

After cleaning up the backyard and taking a shower, Dean and Cas were ready to call it a night. Dean was already in bed wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs when Cas walked out of the bathroom drying his hair with a towel.

 

Cas placed his towel on the back of a chair and climbed into bed next to his husband: Dean placed a soft kiss on his wet hair,

 

“Today was great,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah, it was amazing,” said Dean. Cas rested his head on Dean’s chest and they stayed in silence for a while; after a few minutes Cas thought Dean had fallen asleep, until his husband suddenly spoke,

 

“Hey babe,” said Dean,

 

“Yes?”

 

“I… um, I’m gonna say something and I don’t want you to get upset, okay? It’s just a comment,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Cas a little curious.

 

“Remember a few weeks ago, when you explained to me your… your reasons for not wanting kids?” said Dean,

 

“Dean, please…”

 

“No, Cas… wait… I just want to say that I understand your reasons and your fears and I don’t know how much of those words are part of what your mother used to tell you but… I just want you to know that you’re great with kids okay? I’m not suggesting anything, I just… I just want you to know that you should give yourself more credit, you’re amazing with them… they’re not scared of you and they definitely love you… so, yeah, that’s all I wanted to say,” said Dean.

 

“I love them with all my heart Dean…. But it’s not the same… they’re my nephews and my niece, I don’t see them every day, they only get to see the nice side of uncle Cas, what happens If they see me in one of my bad days? Having a meltdown or a shutdown…” explained Cas,

 

“Hey… don’t worry, okay? I was just making an observation, I’m not suggesting anything… just, give yourself more credit… now, we should get some shut eye, okay?” said Dean,

 

“I love you,” said Cas smiling,

 

“Love you too babe,” Cas turned off his lamp and then allowed Dean to hold him and place small kisses on his neck,

 

“Dean?” said Cas after a couple of minutes,

 

“Yeah?” asked Dean,

 

“If you’re going to wake me up to have Sunday sex, can it be after 9 am? I would really like to be fully awake to be part of the activities,” said Cas smiling even though it was dark and Dean couldn’t see him.

 

“Yeah babe, sure,” said Dean laughing; he held his husband a little closer and within minutes they were both sound asleep.

* * *

July 25th

 

Dean kept his promise and he didn’t wake Cas up until 9:20 am. They had an amazing session of lazy morning sex and then showered together. After grabbing an old shirt and a clean pair of pajama pants, Dean went downstairs to start breakfast while Cas changed the bed sheets and took care of the laundry.

 

When Cas walked downstairs only wearing a pair of comfy pajama pants and carrying the laundry basket, Dean was already placing a couple of omelets on the table.

 

“Breakfast is almost ready,” informed Dean.

 

“Okay, I’ll just put the first load of laundry and I’ll be right back,” answered Cas. When he returned from the laundry room, everything was ready.

 

“This smells amazing… I’m starving,” said Cas.

 

“Figured you would be… after this morning,” said Dean winking,

 

“Maybe after breakfast we can pick up where we left,” said Cas smirking,

 

“Wow, someone woke up happy this morning,” said Dean winking at his husband,

 

“Dean, I’m about to start a book tour in less than 4 months… I did the math and according to my calculations we need to have a lot of sex while I’m still in town,” said Cas with a very serious expression.

 

“Well, you’re the genius here, I’m not going to argue with that logic,” said Dean laughing.

 

“I’m glad,” answered Cas. They finished their breakfast and then proceeded to clean the kitchen; it took them a little more than usual because they kept fooling around and making out,

 

“Cas… we need to keep it in our pants if we want to finish cleaning the kitchen,” said Dean pushing Cas softly,

 

“Okay, I’ll go take care of the laundry then… the sooner we finish this the sooner we can go back upstairs,” said Cas; he placed a quick peck on Dean’s lips and then he walked towards the laundry room.

 

Dean kept washing and drying dishes. He was about to finish when he heard the doorbell. He dried his hands and walked towards the interphone; there, in the little screen he could see Michael Novak.

 

Dean took a deep breath and then lifted the phone,

 

“Yes?” he said,

 

“Umm… hi Dean, it’s me, Michael,” answered his brother in law,

 

“Yeah, I can see you through the camera, what do you want?” said Dean.

 

“Can we talk?” asked Michael. Dean waited for a few seconds to answer,

 

“I don’t know, we’re having a perfect morning, you see… and we don’t want anyone to ruin it,” said Dean,

 

“I’m sorry, okay? I came to apologize… please can I come in?” asked Mike while passing a hand through his hair.

 

“Okay,” said Dean. He hanged up the phone and then pressed the button to open the gate; a minute later Michael was knocking on the main door. Dean walked towards the entrance and opened the door,

 

“Morning,” said Dean,

 

“Good morning,” said Mike. Dean turned around and Michael followed him after shutting the door behind him. They went to the kitchen where Dean offered Mike a cup of coffee,

 

“So… this is really weird… and awkward,” declared Dean,

 

“Yeah…” said Mike after taking a sip of his coffee. Cas came back from the laundry room carrying a basket with clean sheets,

 

“Oh… hello Michael,” said Cas stopping when he noticed his brother’s presence,

 

“Hello Castiel,” said Mike,

 

“Is everything fine?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, I just wanted to drop by and talk, if you want of course,” answered Michael,

 

“Am I still asleep?” asked Cas confused,

 

“No babe, as weird as it looks, your brother is actually here,” said Dean,

 

“Okay… I umm… I’ll go outside to hang the sheets; I like it better when they dry with the sun and the air instead of the dryer… I’ll be right back,” Cas left the kitchen carrying the basket with the blankets.

 

“Is he freaking out?” asked Michael,

 

“No man, he really loves how the sheets feel if you dry them with the sun, it helps his sensory issues,” explained Dean. Mike nodded.

 

Cas returned 5 minutes later with an empty basket in his hands; he sat in front of Michael, and Dean handed him a cup of tea before sitting next to him,

 

“Okay, I’m listening,” said Cas.

 

Michael took a deep breath and passed a hand through his dark hair,

 

“I came to apologize,” he said almost in a whisper,

 

“What?” asked Cas,

 

“I… I’m sorry okay? Listen, I’ve been through a lot of pressure lately… and, and I know that it shouldn’t be an excuse but …well, it happened, I finally exploded a few weeks ago and I was rude to you two,” said Mike,

 

“And to Charlie,” added Dean,

 

“And to Charlie,” repeated Mike,

 

“Michael, you’re my brother and I love you but the only thing that you showed us that day was that you’re still homophobic and you haven’t changed… to be honest I’m not even sure you want to change at this point…” answered Cas clearly upset,

 

“I… Castiel, I don’t know what to say, I’m trying brother, I really am… just think about it, do you think Michael from 6 years ago would have even considered to make you and Dean godfathers of his sons? Of course not! There are things that I don’t approve about you, I admit it… but you are good men, I know it… and I’m trying to change,” said Michael.

 

Dean and Cas remained silent. They looked at each other in the eye and Michael knew they were having a silent conversation like the ones he had with Jill all the time.

 

“Again, I’m not trying to justify myself but just think about this… of the three sons our parents had, I’m the one that spent more time with mom… she raised me, I know this sounds awful but you were there, you know that woman only had eyes for me… she used to say that I was the only one worth of being called her son,” said Michael staring at his cup of coffee; Dean held Cas’s hand when he heard Mike’s words,

 

“Don’t sugar coat it dude,” said Dean,

 

“For a long time I believed that I was so lucky because I was her favorite, I was raised thinking that I was perfect and that I could do whatever I wanted… I was raised thinking that God had basically picked me to decide who was worthy… I remember, I was just a kid and she used to say to me ‘don’t talk to that boy, he’s ugly,’ ‘don’t play with that girl, her mom is a single mother, a slut’… Man! I grew up thinking that having kids before marriage was a sin, and well if that’s the case, I’m a sinner,”

 

“Wow,” whispered Dean,

 

“I know mom isn’t a good woman but I still love her… just like you know that I’m a horrible brother and you still love me… the things she says about gay people Cas… I grew up listening over and over again that homosexuality is a sin, well basically that any person who is different is a freaking sinner; I don’t know why but I always thought that I would have like, this perfect family with perfect little catholic kids and a perfect catholic wife, you know, everything mom always wanted… and now I see my family and they’re all so different and I love them, I love them with all my heart and Tegan could come tomorrow and tell me that she wants to be a freaking dragon when she grows up and I would take her to flying lessons myself, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them… and last night, I… spent the day with mom again and she talked about the same things and… I don’t know what happened but it was different this time, I got tired of all her negativity… I came here to see my family before leaving to LA and I spent the day with that woman and it felt wrong and then when I went back to dad’s it was a little after 9, the kids were already in bed… I went upstairs to say goodnight to them and saw them sleeping peacefully I asked myself _‘would you still love them if one of them was different?’_ and I know Jill is always telling me to stop judging you because what if one of my kids is gay or autistic or just different and they grow up listening to my words of disapproval… but I had never given it a real thought… but I kept thinking, what you said that day Dean… about heartbreaking… I pictured them; 15-year-old Alan crying because he’s scared his homophobic dad wont love him anymore… 17 year old Tegan running away because she’s to scared to tell me that she doesn’t want to go to church anymore… man, I… I don’t want to be that parent Castiel… I need your help guys, I…” his voice broke and he couldn’t keep talking.

 

“It’s okay Michael, you’re willing to change and that’s what matters,” said Cas,

 

“We’re not sinners or immoral… we’re just a couple of guys in love Mike, that’s the first thing you need to understand… Cas is still your brother, we’re still the kids whom you grew up with; we’re not different,” said Dean.

 

“I know I’ve said it in the past… but this time is different, I want to change okay? I really do, every time I talk to mom I convince myself more about it, I don’t want to become her… a lonely person full of hate … I don’t want my kids to hate me… how can she live knowing that you and Gabe hate her?” said Mike,

 

“I don’t hate Naomi, Mike… I just don’t love her and I don’t want her in my life… she didn’t care about me when she left … she doesn’t even deserve my hate… hate is such a strong emotion and it requires a lot of dedication and well… she doesn’t deserve it,”

 

“Wow,” said Michael, “well, I don’t want my kids to feel that way about me,”

 

“Well, that’s up to you… you’re a good father but you also need to be a good human being Michael,” said Cas,

 

“Dean was right, you know?” answered Mike,

 

“About what?”

 

“You’re smart guy, Cas…” said Mike. The three of them remained silent for a few minutes.

 

“You need to apologize to Charlie too,” said Dean breaking the silence.

 

“I know,” said Mike finishing his cup of coffee.

 

“Jill’s upset, isn’t she? She looked really tired yesterday,” said Dean.

 

“You have no idea,” said Michael.

 

“You totally slept on the couch, didn’t you?” asked Dean with a smirk,

 

“Worst… I had to share a room with Gabe because I didn’t want the kids to find me sleeping on the couch in the morning,” said Michael,

 

“I’m sorry to tell you this man but… karma,” said Dean,

 

“I know, I feel like I’ll smell like cotton candy for the rest of the week… but I deserve it, I was an asshole… you’re always helping us with the kids and you’re so kind to my wife, you love her and my family and I should be grateful…” said Mike,

 

“Man, if you really want to change then I’m happy for you… lets just hope that it isn’t just words,” said Dean, “what do you think Cas?”

 

“To be honest… I’ve tried so many times to forgive you and I have told myself a thousand times that you’ve changed Michael… you must forgive me if I’m doubtful… I’m going to need actions and not only words this time brother, I really feel tired of this game,” said Cas.

 

“I deserve this… I can’t force you to forgive me I guess,”

 

“I’ll forgive you eventually… it’s just that right now, everything is too recent … I guess it’s just too soon to forget what happened,” Cas wasn’t upset; he sounded disappointed and heartbroken.

 

“I umm… I understand,” said Michael.

 

“Good,” said Cas. No one talked for a while after that.

 

“My plane leaves tomorrow,” said Michael after a few minutes,

 

“Yeah, Jill told us, we’re helping her with the kids during the week,” said Dean,

 

“Thank you,” said Cas’s brother, “I should go, I still need to apologize to Charlie,” said Michael standing up,

 

“Good luck with that,” said Dean; he and Cas stood up and followed Michael outside,

 

“Thanks for listening to me, I really am sorry for what I said,”

 

“Thanks for apologizing, see you soon,” said Cas smiling shyly. Michael climbed in his car,

 

“Actually Castiel… Jill is driving me tomorrow to the airport and I was wondering if you could join us so she doesn’t have to drive back on her own,” said Mike.

 

“Of course, just let me know the hour,” said Cas; Michael nodded and then stepped on the gas.

 

Dean and Cas waited until he was gone to close the door behind them.

 

“You think he was being honest?” asked Dean,

 

“I don’t know what to think… like I said, I expect actions, not just words,”

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” answered Dean while holding Cas’s hand, “but hey, at least we get to see Jill and the kids for the rest of the week,”

 

“I know,” answered Cas smiling.

* * *

 

Since Michael’s visit had killed their mood they decided to go on with their chores. Once Dean finished cleaning the bathrooms he went downstairs looking for his husband, he found him sitting by the pool, his pajama pants rolled up to his knees and his legs inside the water; he was mesmerized staring at the pool.

 

“Cas? You okay?” asked Dean walking towards his husband. Cas didn’t answer which didn’t surprise Dean, he knew Cas could zone out pretty hard.

 

“Babe?” asked Dean again, he rolled his pants up, sat carefully next to Cas and dipped his legs in the water too. Cas blinked a couple of times and then turned his attention to his husband,

 

“Sorry, I got a little distracted,” said Cas,

 

“Anything bothering you?” asked Dean. Cas looked back at the pool and then sighed,

 

“Yes, I don’t know how to react to Mike’s words… I’m tired of this game of his, I can’t keep doing this,” said Cas,

 

“I know it sucks… but, he seemed kinda honest this time,” said Dean,

 

“I don’t know what to think anymore,” said Cas with a sigh. Dean placed a finger under Cas’s chin and lifted his head,

 

“Hey, don’t be sad, okay? Don’t let anyone ruin your happiness; If Michael doesn’t change the way he thinks about us that’s his business, we’re not doing anything wrong and I’m pretty sure Jill won’t let him fill the kids with all his stupid beliefs and his bullshit,” said Dean,

 

“Yes, you’re right,” said Cas looking at Dean in the eye, “I really wish he meant it this time, but if he didn’t… I’m done trying to fix this, if he doesn’t want to interact with us that’s fine, as long as we get to see Jill and the kids, I don’t care,”

 

“That’s the spirit,” said Dean before placing a kiss on Cas’s cheek. They sat in silence staring at the water for a while.

 

“We should get up and go back to our chores,” said Cas eventually.

 

“I just need to wash Baby and I’m done,” said Dean,

 

“I still need to make our bed,” said Cas, “and then I’ll cook something, what do you want for lunch?”

 

“I actually was thinking about ordering pizza,” said Dean smiling,

 

“That sounds like and excellent idea,” said Cas taking his legs out of the water,

 

“Awesome,” said Dean. They stood up and then each went to finish their chores.

 

* * *

July 26th

 

“At what time does the plane leave?” asked Dean on their way to Kraken on Monday morning.

 

“3:25, Jill and Michael will pick me up at 12:30, we’re driving him to the airport and then Jill and I will get everything we need for dinner and meet you at my dad’s okay?” asked Cas.

 

“Okay, call me if you need anything and make sure to get pie,” said Dean,

 

“Of course, have a nice day, I love you,” said Cas when Dean parked outside Kraken.

 

“You too… I hope everything goes fine with your brother,” said Dean waving goodbye.

 

“Me too, see you tonight,” said Cas.

 

He walked into the office and greeted the receptionist, an intern called Alex (he was finally starting to remember her name and her face since it seemed like she was going to stay for a while and she was pretty good at her job. The previous receptionist only lasted a week, he couldn’t even remember her face); and then he went straight to his office.

 

Time passed really fast, he had just finished a meeting with Meg and Tamika when he noticed that it was almost time to leave,

 

“Meg, could you do me a favor?” he asked,

 

“Sure thing Clarence, what is it?” she said,

 

“I have to leave in a 20 minutes, and I don’t think I’ll be able to come back to the office… Mr. Gomez is coming to check his webpage in a couple of hours; can you and Kevin take care of that please? Send me an e-mail to let me know what happens,” said Cas while they left the conference room and walked towards the design area,

 

“Okay, no problem boss, where’s Kev by the way?” she asked,

 

“Went with Benny to talk to a client, he’ll be back on time for your meeting don’t worry… oh, and please, I know I don’t have to remind you this because you love to do it but, make sure the new interns work and please remind them that they’re here to learn and work not to waste their time on Facebook,”

 

“Oh Clarence, you really know me, thanks for letting me scare the new kids, I live for that,” she said,

 

“I know, and I find it stressful to do it myself so everybody wins with this deal, said Cas smiling back at her,” he handed Meg a couple of folders and thanked her one more time. He walked towards the elevator and Meg stood there checking him out,

 

“Oh! And Meg,” said Cas turning around suddenly,

 

“Umm, yeah?” she asked trying to act cool,

 

“Just two more things, tomorrow is Ash’s birthday just make sure that Benny didn’t forget to get the cake, I know that’s not your job but please I need that as a personal favor,” said Cas,

 

“Got it, what’s number two?” asked Meg,

 

“Stop staring at my ass,” said Cas smiling,

 

“Sorry,” she said winking at him,

 

“You’re only sorry I saw you,” said Cas,

 

“You know me so well Clarence,” she said laughing.

* * *

 

Cas was already outside Kraken waiting for his brother and Jill when they arrived. He took his place on the backseat and joined them.

 

“Hi Cas,” said Jill,

 

“Hello Jill… Michael,” said Cas,

 

“Hello brother, thanks for doing this,” said Mike,

 

“Oh it is nothing, I love spending time with Jill… though I don’t understand why you don’t want her to drive on her own,” said Cas,

 

“You know your brother Cas, he likes to worry and overreact about everything,” said Jill smiling at Cas,

 

“I’m not… I … okay, yes… Jill doesn’t know the city that well and I would feel better if she had company while she drives back to dad’s… is that what you wanted to hear darling?” said Michael.

 

“Thanks for worrying, maybe Cas will have to move with us to LA if you don’t want me to drive on my own in a new city,” she said joking,

 

“Jill… please, I’m already stressed don’t do this,” said Mike,

 

“Sorry, sorry…” she said.

 

They drove in silence for a few minutes,

 

“So, Cas… ready for tonight?” asked Jill,

 

“Yes, we’re going to have an amazing week Jill, we all love having you here,” said Cas.

 

They kept talking about their plans for the week and Michael told them a little more about the job he was applying for. They arrived pretty soon to the airport and Jill and Cas joined Mike for a while; eventually they left. Cas and Mike shook hands and Jill kissed him and wished him luck. Cas wasn’t sure but he thought he saw Mike rubbing Jill’s belly.

 

“We’ll talk about this when you come back, okay?” said Jill,

 

“Okay, can’t wait,” said Mike kissing her,

 

“Good bye,” she pushed him playfully and they finally parted ways.

* * *

 

They drove back in complete silence, Cas didn’t know what was going on but Jill looked worried.

 

“Jill, you’re doing fine… you’re an excellent driver, don’t need to worry,” said Cas, “don’t listen to my brother,” just when he finished his sentence a few tears started forming on Jill’s eyes and she turned the car to the right, into a little gravel road and stopped.

 

“Jill, what’s going on?” asked Cas. She took a deep breath but she couldn’t hold it anymore she turned into a sobbing mess.

 

“Cas… I… I need to tell you something,” said Jill.

 

“Jill, what’s going on?” Cas hugged her and allowed her to cry on his shoulder. She didn’t talk for a while and Cas was really starting to worry, was she sick? Were Jill and Mike getting a divorce? Were the kids okay?

 

It took her almost ten minutes to calm down; eventually she was able to talk.

 

“Cas… I think… I … for a while I’ve noticed some symptoms that are… I umm… Alan,” she looked really worried,

 

“Is Alan okay? Jill, you’re scaring me,” said Cas,

 

“Cas, I don’t even know why I’m crying… I… Alan is fine, I just… he, he hates looking people in the eye and sometimes he doesn’t want us to touch him, doesn’t walk and Leonard already does… and he barely talks… he doesn’t play with his toys he places them in order on the floor and then claps for like 15 minutes and, he’s happy and healthy but he hates changes, man it’s been a nightmare trying to make him change to ‘big boy’ food, he hates freaking textures… he can tell if I changed the freaking brand of diapers, Cas… do I need to go on?” she asked clearly worried,

 

“You think?” Cas was about to cry too, he knew it wasn’t his fault, his condition was something genetic, he didn’t pass it to the boy by hugging him or kissing him; he was born like that, just like Cas …

 

“That’s why I had that big fight with Mike this weekend,” explained Jill, “I told him that we should take him to a doctor… Al has horrible tantrums, it’s not normal and he sleeps a lot… I, I’ve been thinking this for a long time but last week he even threw up when he was having a tantrum and it was all because he didn’t want to wear a new pair of socks I bought him,”

 

“What did Mike say?” asked Cas,

 

“What do you think? He was upset, he says I’m seeing things and that I spoil Al too much because he’s my favorite… which is ridiculous, I love all of them in the same way… Tegan and Leonard have never acted like that… Cas I really don’t want to say out loud the horrible shit he said but let me tell you something… I know Mike can be an ass, I know he’s mommy’s little boy and he acts like her sometimes and I married him knowing all that, but what he said that day… it was the first time it made me consider getting a divorce… the way he talked about Al, about you…” she said,

 

“I’m so sorry Jill,” said Cas,

 

“I don’t know what to do,” she said,

 

“He sounded so honest yesterday when he apologized to us,” said Cas,

 

“Cas, you know me… that same day, when he said all those things I said I wanted a divorce… I said I couldn’t be with a man who doesn’t love his kids just because they’re different,”

 

“Crap,” said Cas,

 

“He cried a lot and I cried a lot… he said that he loves them all and then I repeated to him out loud all the things he had said about Al… he freaked out… at least he finally realized that he sounds like his mother and he was scared… that’s why I asked him to leave us alone on Saturday, I told him to keep an open mind and go to see his mother again…”

 

“Why would you do that?” asked Cas,

 

“I told him ‘ just do me a favor, every time that woman says something horrible about someone else change the name of that person for any of your kids… that’s how you sounded yesterday’, an well, apparently looking at it from that perspective made him realize how stupid he was acting,”

 

“He has these days in LA to think about this situation, I want what’s best for my kids… if growing up away from his father is the best option, then that’s what I’ll do,” she said sounding really sad,

 

“But you looked so happy today, you were kissing and hugging,”

 

“Cas, I love him… he’s and asshole, yes… but I love him and he can be a nice guy… that’s why I started dating him… he always looked like a boring grumpy guy at work but one day I found him recruiting volunteers for serving food at a shelter in thanksgiving… that’s why I gave him a chance and that’s how I realized he could be nice,”

 

“I always wondered why you started dating him,” admitted Cas.

 

“He was so sweet and nice when we met,”

 

“I think he’s stressed and worried about you guys and he has to deal with what mom wants him to do as well as what he wants to do… when mom left he was 18 but to be honest, he was the one who needed her the most,” said Cas,

 

“He’s such a control freak,” added Jill,

 

“Yes,” said Cas,

 

“The interview, his mom, Al’s situation… those are things he can’t control… and he freaks out…”

 

“Sounds like Michael… that’s why he can’t stand me, because I’m not normal, I don’t fit his definition of a normal human being and he hates that,”

 

“And to add more things to the bag of ‘stuff he can’t control right now,’ that day that I was ranting and yelling at him I told him something that I wanted to keep a secret until he came back from LA,” said Jill,

 

“You’re pregnant,” said Cas,

 

“Yes… how do you know?”

 

“I saw him rubbing your belly at the airport,” said Cas. There was a silence of almost two minutes.

 

“I’m scared,” said Jill.

 

“Jill, to be honest… it doesn’t matter what happens, you have full support of our family… that includes Charlie, Bobby and Sam… you know that, we’ll always be there for you and the kids... if you need a hug, or money or anything, you just say it, okay?” said Cas.

 

“Thanks Cas… I… I’m going to wait for Mike to come back and I want to enjoy our week here, the kids are really happy and I love being with you guys, you’re my only family… these days are what Mike and I need to figure things out, and I really hope he gets the job… we need a new start,”

 

“The important thing here is that both of you are willing to try… as long the kids are fine, and both of you are happy…” said Cas.

 

“I love you Cas, you’re amazing,” she said.

 

“I have a lot of flaws too Jill, but like I said, all I care about is my family and my husband being happy,” said Cas with a smile.

 

They kept talking for a while after that. Jill told him a little more about how she started dating Mike and Cas told her about his recent argument with Dean about having children. After an hour she finally decided to keep driving and they headed to the store to get everything they would need for dinner.

* * *

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! 
> 
> I added new art on chapter 4 btw... it's a different style but I wanted to draw something and I didn't have a lot of time. Thanks for reading, the kudos and your nice comments... and thanks a lot to the people that started following me on tumblr!
> 
> I love you all!


	7. No shoes club.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike goes to LA for his job interview. Jill and the kids spend a week at Sioux Falls with the family. Cas, Charlie and Dean are awesome uncles. Alan is diagnosed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everybody! 
> 
> It's 11:17 pm of Valentine's day, I just downed my allergy pills with red wine and i'm drinking from a Deadpool glass... I wanted to work on my art for this but i've been pretty busy (and out of town again). I still decided to post this because it isn't fair to you that I keep postponing it just because i don't have new illustrations to go with the story.
> 
> So, I hope you had an amazing Sunday, I love you all and thanks for your nice comments and the likes and all that Jazz.
> 
> Remember that English isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistake.

* * *

 

When Naomi left Chuck his life became a mess for a couple of months, until one day he decided they needed order in their lives and he turned into an expert on planning and controlling every situation when it came to raising 3 kids (one of them homeschooled and another one in college and refusing to talk to him) while working and trying to write a novel.

 

Everyone saw him as a weird guy who drank a lot of coffee and had a couple of equally weird kids at home.

 

What people outside his circle didn’t know was that he was an expert on dealing with stressful situations and he could easily go from being ‘Chuck the chilled guy’ to ‘Chuck the one who has everything under control.’ Thanks to that, Jill managed to have a perfect week in Sioux Falls.

 

On Monday they had an amazing dinner at Chuck’s. She joined Charlie, Cas and Dean in their Tuesday night and they had a movie marathon while Chuck, Bobby and Jody babysat the kids. Jill was extremely happy to finally be able to watch movies that weren’t for kids; then she remembered that she was with Cas, Dean and Charlie and that they would probably end up watching a sci-fi movie… but it was okay, anything was better than ‘Jake and the Never land pirates’. To her surprise they let her pick the movies and they watched ‘the exorcist,’ 'the shining' and 'Poltergeist'.

* * *

 

July 28th

 

On Wednesday Cas convinced her to get a blood test to make sure that she was pregnant since she was still doubtful. She picked him up at 8 am and they drove to the clinic. Cas waited with her and he didn’t bother to correct the nurses when they kept calling Jill his wife; he also saw a lot of flyers and posters with pictures of female genitalia and fetuses; it was a weird morning.

 

They had breakfast together and then she decided to ask Cas for advice,

 

“Cas, when they found out you had Asperger’s how did it happen?” she asked,

 

“I kept getting in trouble at school for being a 'know it all' and for being too honest… I remember I once told my teacher that she looked like a frog… so they kept sending me to the principal’s office and eventually they sent me to the school psychiatrist… she had no idea what was going on with me so she sent me to another Doctor… Doctor Norton, she was the one who finally diagnosed me,” explained Cas,

 

“Do they do physical tests or…?”

 

“Oh no, just questions to me and my parents and a writing test… then I solved a Rubik’s cube in front of her in 2 minutes and she told my parents ‘your son has Asperger’s syndrome and also he’s a freaking genius,’ it was nice… I didn’t understand what was going on but at least after that dad agreed to cut out all the labels of my shirts and they let me pick my own clothes and shoes at the store,” said Cas.

 

“Is Doctor Norton still around… I was wondering… do you think she could see Alan?” asked Jill,

 

“Yes, I’ll text her and make an appointment,” said Cas,

 

“Thanks so much,” she said with a smile.

* * *

Jill dropped Cas at his home; he decided to work from there instead of going to Kraken. They said goodbye and Jill happily informed him that Chuck and Bobby would be taking care of the kids since she would be spending the evening with Charlie and Jody. Cas was happy to see her more relaxed and smiling.

 

When Dean arrived home, Cas was in his studio basically perched on his computer and typing pretty fast,

 

“Hi babe,” said Dean,

 

“Hello Dean, I’m kind of inspired today… I’m working on the book, I’m almost done,” answered Cas,

 

“Take your time,” said Dean smiling. He plopped on a couch on the other side of the room. Cas’s studio was big; it actually was more like a small apartment; it was a 2 story room filled with books, Cas’s action figures, drawings… it even had a piano and a couple of computers. The second floor had a bed, though Dean would define it more as a nest, surrounded by pillows and blankets. The bed was next to a huge window (more like a wall of pure glass) from where Cas could see the stars at night. Sometimes when he was stressed or he needed to think, he would go to the bed in his studio and stare at the sky for hours. When they re-designed the house, each picked a place of the house to have their own room. The rooms really were a reflection of their personalities. Cas’s studio was situated in the attic of the house. Dean’s ‘man cave’ was in the basement. They didn’t use their rooms that much because they loved to spend time together. Dean would usually sleep in Cas’s studio when Cas left on book tours but he never told that to his husband.

 

“Done,” said Cas saving the document.

 

“Productive day?” Asked Dean,

 

“Yes, after going to the clinic with Jill we had breakfast and then I came back home instead of going to Kraken, I was in the mood for working from my studio,” said Cas.

 

“How was the clinic?” asked Dean,

 

“Interesting, the nurses thought I was Jill’s husband and they kept telling us not to worry and giving us tips for parenthood,” said Cas,

 

“And what did you do?” asked Dean,

 

“Nothing, I just kept nodding and feeling grateful for being a gay man… I don’t think I want to see another vagina anytime soon,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, c’mon they’re not that bad,”

 

“It looks like a lot of work… like… you know? No wonder women complain a lot about men not being able to know what to do,” said Cas while turning off his computer.

 

“Well, that’s because sex with women is an art Cas… it takes time and dedication to achieve a good job,” said Dean smiling. Cas stood up from his chair and sat on his husband’s lap,

 

“An art? Too bad you’re a retired artist,” said Cas laughing,

 

“Oh… I’m not,” said Dean laughing too, “I just changed my umm… art of interest,” added Dean with a smirk,

 

“Is that so?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, and I think I’m pretty good at it, don’t you?” Cas smiled and planted a kiss on his husband’s lips. Dean reciprocated eagerly and they remained like that, making out on the couch until Dean’s stomach made a loud noise interrupting the moment.

 

“Come on Michael Angelo, I cooked pasta for dinner,” said Cas placing a soft kiss on Dean’s cheek.

 

“Awesome,” answered Dean with a huge smile.

* * *

 

July 29th

 

Chuck’s organizing system failed on Thursday afternoon. Cas was supposed to go with Jill to see Doctor Norton; Chuck was supposed to take care of the kids with Charlie.

 

Cas didn’t bother to go to the office that Day, he worked from his house and spent a relaxing morning just drawing and answering e-mails. Few minutes past noon his phone rang,

 

“Hi Dad,” he said,

 

“Hey, listen Cas… Vicky is on her way to my place, she had to move our weekend meeting because she has to go to Houston this weekend, I was supposed to take care of the kids with Charlie, do you mind helping me?” said Chuck,

 

“But dad, you were supposed to take care of the kids because Jill and I are taking Al to see Dr. Norton, remember?” Asked Cas,

 

“Oh Crap… no one else can; Gabe is working like a maniac with a cake and cupcakes for a quinceañera, Bobby is not in town, Jody is working… do you think Dean could help?”

 

“I’ll call him but I don’t see why not… I’ll call you back, okay?” answered Cas,

 

“Thanks,” said Chuck. Cas hanged up and then called Dean,

 

 ___  ___ ___

 

“Hello sexy,” answered Dean,

 

“I’m going to assume you’re alone at your office,” answered Cas laughing,

 

“Sorry, just had a weird talk with Garth about keeping the marriage alive and all that stuff,” said Dean,

 

“Good to know that you don’t work at a garage full of stereotypical macho men,” said Cas, “anyway, my dad needs help with the kids, He was supposed to take care of Len and Tegan today but something came up and now he has a meeting and we need someone to help Charlie,” said Cas. Technically Charlie could do the job herself, it would be only Leonard and Tegan but they would feel a lot better if they could have a couple of responsible adults taking care of the kids.

 

“Yeah, I suppose I could leave a little early, we could have lunch together,” said Dean.

 

“Great, I’ll call dad, I guess Charlie and Jill will bring the kids here later, so we can wait for them and watch a movie or something,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah… or something…Love you Cas, see ya,” said Dean. Cas sent a text to his father to let him know that Dean would help them.

 

* * *

 

He was cooking lunch when suddenly he heard the front door opening; Jill and Charlie had arrived,

 

“Hi girls, what are you doing here so early?” asked Cas.

 

“The kids had a lot of energy and your dad was going crazy with his meeting and the kids being kids, is it okay if we stay here for a while?” asked Jill.

 

“Yes, I was just cooking lunch, Dean will be here shortly… you’re staying for lunch, right? Asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, want us to help you?”

 

“It’s okay, I’ll re heat the left overs from dinner and we can have a little bit of everything, besides… I’m pretty sure Dean will bring pie,” said Cas.

 

“Great, do you mind if I use your kitchen? I brought stuff to fix a lunch for the kids,” said Jill.

 

“Jill, this is your house,” Said Cas.

 

Charlie sat at the checkered kitchen floor playing with Tegan and her dolls. The twins sat next to them while they happily played with Nik. Charlie wanted to take them upstairs but the kids wanted to stay there, she didn’t argue with them and just kept playing.

* * *

 

Dean climbed in his beloved Car and carefully placed a box with a couple of pies on the seat next to him.

 

After his weird conversation about ‘keeping the flame of love alive’ and ‘how to add that extra something to a marriage,’ he was sure of 3 things: 1) Garth needed to stop reading his wife’s magazines; 2) He needed to plan another road trip with Cas ASAP; 3) he really needed to hurry up and arrive home because we wanted to have sex with his husband.

 

Dean decided to put the impala in the garage since the day was extremely hot and he didn’t want his beloved baby to face the heat of the street. He got out of his car, grabbed the box of pies and opened the door that separated the small hallway next to the kitchen from the garage and the laundry room.

 

He immediately smelled the food his husband was cooking and he felt really happy to be home,

 

“Hey babe… I’ve been thinking about you all day; I really hope you’re in the mood because I want you to take me upstairs and fu… reaking… take me to the park and I umm… hi everybody!” he said, his voice turning high at the end of the sentence; he was blushing pretty hard; as soon as he turned around the little hallway next to the kitchen he noticed that they had guests in the house,

 

“Hi Dean… nicely saved at the end, for one moment I thought we were going to witness what you two do when you’re alone,” said Charlie giggling.

 

“You didn’t hear anything,” said Dean placing the box on the counter. Cas and Jill were giggling too,

 

“Hello Dean… it is nice to see you,” said Cas; Dean walked towards him and placed a soft kiss on his cheek,

 

“Uncle Dean?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yes sweetie?” asked Dean,

 

“I don’t understand,” she said,

 

“What?” asked Dean,

 

“Why do you want uncle Cas to take you upstairs if you want to go to the park?”

 

“Yeah Dean, why?” asked Charlie.

 

“wh… what?” Asked Dean scratching the back of his head.

 

“You said you want uncle Cas to freaking take you to the park,” said Tegan.

 

“Oh, yeah I wanted to go upstairs because I need to… take off my work clothes and put on... my park clothes,” said Dean,

 

“Okay,” said Tegan.

 

“Great to see that you’re exited about going to the park, Dean,” said Charlie.

 

“Yeah, yeah,” said Dean while ruffling Len’s hair.

 

“Lunch is almost ready,” said Cas.

 

“We were planning on having lunch with you guys, unless you had another plan and you wanted to eat Cas… I mean, with Cas alone,” said Charlie,

 

“I love you so much Bradbury,” said Dean, “as always it’s great having you guys here, now if you excuse me I’m going to take a quick cold shower… I reek of shame and blue b-a-l-l-s,” said Dean, taking care of spelling the last part; he didn’t want more questions from Tegan.

 

They remained silent until they heard Dean closing the door of his room upstairs.

 

“Wow Cas, you have a happy… **active** life don’t you?” asked Charlie winking,

 

“Charlie, we’re young, basically just married and we have to make up for 10 years of pining for each other in silence… what do you expect us to do?” asked Cas.

 

“Go tiger,” said Charlie laughing.

* * *

 

A

fter giving the kids their lunch they took them upstairs to take a nap; the adults then went back to the table and enjoyed their meal together,

 

“So, how are you Jill?” asked Dean while grabbing another turkey sandwich from a plate in the center of the table;

 

“Well…” said Jill while grabbing Charlie’s beer, “I’m not pregnant!” she said and after that she took a swig.

 

“You sound happy… so, congratulations?” said Dean,

 

“I know kids are a blessing and all that shit but to be honest, having another baby right now wasn’t in our plans, I was really stressed guys… and one of the things I need to discuss with Mike when he comes back is the fact that I am a 100% sure that I don’t want more children,”

 

“You go girl!” said Charlie.

 

“Have you talked to him?” asked Cas,

 

“Yes, he had his interview tomorrow, if he makes it to the next round he has to go back in two weeks and if they pick him after that we would have to be in LA by the last week of August... or well, at least he would have to be there by then,” explained Jill,

 

“Wow, everything’s happening so fast,” said Dean,

 

“I know, that’s another of the reasons that made me look for help for Alan, if he has Asperger’s or some kind of Autism… I want to help him with this transition to another city,” said Jill,

 

“You’re doing the right thing Jill,” said Charlie,

 

“I have an idea, Charlie and I will get everything ready for dinner… wine and snacks… and when you come back from Dr. Norton’s… it doesn’t matter what she says, we’re gonna stay up all night if you want, talking about it and researching and all that jazz okay? So when Michael comes back and you tell him the news you can also tell him that you are prepared,” said Dean,

 

“That sounds amazing Dean, thanks,” said Jill.

 

“Well, it’s almost time to go… I’ll go upstairs to brush my teeth,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, I’ll go check on the kids and change their diapers,” said Jill.

 

“And I’ll follow my husband and pretend that I’ll go brush my teeth too, but I’m actually going to make out with him for like 5 minutes, okay?” said Dean.

 

“I apologize for Dean’s behavior, sometimes he forgets how to think with his ‘upstairs brain’,” said Cas smiling, “feel free to use any of the bathrooms and bedrooms of the house to get ready and… Dean, stop pulling me,” said Cas laughing, “Okay, I’ll be right back, just 5 minutes,”

 

“Make it 15,” said Dean,

 

“Dean!”

 

“What? Said Dean with an innocent look,

 

“C’mon lets go… you know I hate being late to an appointment,” said Cas looking at the hour in his phone,

 

“Okay, ten minutes,” said Dean.

 

“You’re impossible,” said Cas rolling his eyes.

* * *

 

With Jill driving and Alan comfortably asleep in his baby seat on the back of the car, they finally drove to Dr. Norton’s.

 

“You and Dean are very cute together, you know that?” asked Jill,

 

“Thanks… the book tour starts in less than 4 months so we’re kinda spending every second we can together,” said Cas smiling,

 

“That’s sweet… but I thought the book would go out by the end of December,” said Jill,

 

“They want us to start the tour earlier this time, they want the book to be available worldwide in time for christmas… apparently the fans can’t wait… it’s crazy… I barely give personal information during interviews but they seem to know a lot about my life… and they’re always trying to reach me on social media… which is fine, don’t get me wrong, it’s just scary… I have a commitment with these fans, it’s my responsibility to create something that they love,” said Cas.

 

“Wow… it’s a little weird to know that you and your dad are famous,” said Jill,

 

“We’re not that famous,” said Cas,

 

“Cas, you had to put that gate and the security system in your house because of that crazy group of fans,” said Jill laughing.

 

“Fans can be very creative,” said Cas.

 

“0h, yes they can,” said Jill Laughing. They went quiet after that; the only sound in the car was Alan’s light snoring.

 

“You think Alan is gonna be fine?” asked Jill,

 

“Jill, as long as you raise him fine and with love he’s going to be fine… even if he doesn’t have Asperger’s; you’re doing a great job as a mom, okay?” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” she answered. They arrived at the office and she parked outside.

 

“Are you ready?” asked Cas. Jill took a deep breath and nodded,

 

“I’m ready,” she answered and then she got out of the car.

* * *

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay here and watch a movie or something?” asked Dean while making sure that they had everything they would need for their day at the park.

 

“We wanna go to the park! And you said you wanted to go too,” said Tegan.

 

“Yeah… I was just making sure; okay I think we have everything we need,” said Dean.

 

“Juices and water too?” she asked,

 

“Yep, we have everything on the list… we just need Charlie and Leonard to come back and we’re ready to go,” said Dean.

 

Five minutes later Charlie joined them in the kitchen carrying Leonard; he was spotting a massive bedhead, and he was rubbing his eyes,

 

“Aww, Len… did mean auntie Charlie wake you up too soon?” asked Dean ruffling the kid’s hair.

 

“I swear, getting out of bed is like impossible for anyone with Novak as their last name,” said Charlie rolling her eyes.

 

“Nah, Chuck loves to wake up early,” said Dean.

 

“It doesn’t count, he wakes up to stay in bed writing,” said Charlie.

 

“Fair point,” answered Dean; “dude, we can’t take him looking like that to the park, he looks like Cas in the mornings,” said Dean. The twins had long hair, they hadn’t had a haircut never in their short lives, and they looked cute with their long dirty blond hair; but that also meant that they looked pretty funny when they had just gotten out of bed.

 

“Tegan, honey, can I borrow your comb?” asked Charlie. Tegan nodded and grabbed a purple comb from inside her backpack; she handed it to Charlie and she fixed Len’s hair in less than a minute; “there you go… good as new, now… lets go to the park.”

 

Tegan started clapping and jumping in excitement.

 

* * *

 

Cas and Jill sat next to each other in the waiting room. There was a small table with coloring books and toys in one corner and a lot of toys in buckets; Jill placed Alan there and she watched as some of the kids interacted with each other; Alan grabbed a small red ball and started to play with it on his own,

 

“Oh, there’s that too… he doesn’t like hanging out with other kids, he was really tense on his birthday party,” said Jill.

 

“Relax Jill,” said Cas.

 

“Al… Alan, Alan sweetie!” Called Jill,

 

“To be honest that ball looks interesting, it is very red… I would probably ignore you too,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, he always does that… remember that Mini-impala Dean gave him when he was born? When he’s playing with that thing he doesn’t give a crap about anything else,” said Jill.

 

“Dean does the same thing with his car,” said Cas smiling. Jill started to laugh and relaxed a little after Cas’s joke.

 

After a few minutes Doctor Norton opened the door of her office and called them in. Jill picked Alan (who refused to let go of the red ball) and then she followed Cas inside the office.

 

“Good afternoon, take a sit please”. Said Doctor Norton pointing at a couple of beanbag chairs in the middle of the room. Jill blinked a couple of times and stared at the room a little surprised. The walls were a soothing lilac color and the floor was covered with some kind of blue foamy carpet. The doctor had a lot of diplomas on her walls, along with drawings apparently made by her patients and a few pictures of her with different people. She also had a desk and a more “formal” section by the wall with a window; but the place of the room where they were sitting was definitely the part designed to make the patients feel comfortable.

 

“It is nice to see you Dr. Norton,” said Cas sitting on his favorite beanbag chair. Jill sat next to him and placed Al on her lap.

 

“Nice seeing you too Castiel… and it’s nice to finally meet you Jill,” said the doctor,

 

“Yeah, thanks for seeing us, I know it was kinda rushed but I just couldn’t keep living with the doubt, you know?” said Jill. Doctor Norton nodded and looked at Al, who was playing with the ball in his hands and staring at the walls of the room.

 

“So, this is Alan?” said the doctor.

 

“Yes,” said Jill.

 

“Okay… I’m going to ask you a lot of questions, I hope you don’t mind,” said the doctor,

 

“Not a problem,” said Jill. Doctor Norton grabbed a notebook and a pen from a table behind her and she started to write.

 

“Okay… please tell me how old is Alan and why do you think he might have Autism?”

 

“He just turned one on July 4th… and I know that it’s wrong to compare our kids but, well… we have a daughter, Tegan, she’s 5 and, she was our first kid and my husband, Cas’s brother, was really worried about the Asperger’s situation… so we kinda read a lot about the subject and kept checking that everything was fine like… if Tegan could look at us straight in the eye without any trouble or if she had any issue with textures or noises… well all that stuff that you obviously already know… and well, she didn’t; she’s completely normal… and well, a year ago when the twins were born we went from having 1 kid to having 3, so we were kinda busy trying to survive to all that chaos… and it was obvious that Leonard was developing faster than Alan… Leonard always does everything first… he talked first, he’s walking and he well, he’s just like Tegan when she was a year old… but Alan…” said Jill.

 

“So the differences were obvious since the beginning?” asked Dr. Norton,

 

“Not at first… I would say I started to notice it when they were like 3 months old. Leonard started to follow my eyes when I talked to him and he smiled and was such an active baby… and Alan, I mean he looks at us in the eye, like saying ‘I’m listening,’ but then he turns his face and it is impossible to make eye contact with him. He doesn’t like to be touched by strangers and he doesn’t like to play with kids his age… in fact, he only likes to interact with his siblings; what else? Oh, he hates textures… making him eat a fruit is a freaking battle… he hates changes so now that we’re trying to make them eat more ‘grown up’ food he’s really upset. He hates clothes… Like, if he could go around just wearing a diaper he would be happy… I’m pretty sure he has a secret place were he hides his socks because he hates those things and once he take them off I can’t find them,” said Jill giggling.

 

“Well, you’ve described a few of the characteristics of a person in the autism spectrum,” said Dr. Norton. She looked at Alan who was now sitting on the carpet and had already lost a shoe and a sock, “he clearly has an issue with textures,” said the doctor pointing at Alan,

 

“Oh my god!” Jill blushed,

 

“It’s okay Jill,” said Cas smiling at Al who was now taking off his other shoe.

 

“Okay, it seem like you know about the subject Jill, I mean you’re friends with Cas and you’ve read a lot about it like you said… so what can you tell me about the tantrums?”

 

“That’s the reason why I’m here… I can pretend that everything’s okay, my husband says that I spoil him and that’s why he’s so different and sometimes I would like to believe that but dear god… those tantrums aren’t normal… he, he threw up during one, it was horrible; most of the time, after a tantrum he sleeps for hours… he’s not himself and I mean, he’s not like other kids, crying for everything or to get people’s attention… obviously he cries when he’s scared or he hurts himself… but I mean, when he really cries, full on tantrum, it is because something really upset him and he goes nuts, it’s really scary,” said Jill.

 

“Okay, well Jill, autism is a huge spectrum, the problem with getting a diagnosis this young is that ‘functional autism’ can be easily mistaken by ‘Asperger’s’ or vice versa… and even when it comes to Asperger’s it has a spectrum inside itself… take Cas, for example… lets say that we have a scale that goes from 1 to 200… Cas would be located at a 185,” explained the doctor,

 

“Okay,” said Jill,

 

“A few years ago they changed the definition of those two and now they’re all together as a part of an spectrum… so what used to be known as Asperger’s syndrome is now called a Disorder of the Autism spectrum; some doctors still treat the two as separated diagnosis, thought they clearly share a lot of characteristics… I’m one of those doctors; is that okay with you?”

 

“yeah, it sounds more… specific,” answered Jill.

 

“For me, just by seeing Alan it is easy to say that he definitely is different but we can’t rush into any conclusion… first I’m going to give you this written test so we can have a more detailed description of how he is,” said the doctor.

 

“Yeah, that’s… that’s fine,” said Jill. Doctor Norton stood up and signaled Jill to follow her to the desk,

 

“You can sit here and answer it, you’ll be more comfortable…take your time, you can ask me if you have any question, okay?” said the doctor,

 

“Yes, thanks,”

 

“I’m going to sit with Cas and Alan and observe their interaction if that’s fine with you,”

 

“That’s something very special to see… Cas is really patient with him and I think Alan loves him a lot,” said Jill.

 

“Well, I’d love to see that,” said the doctor smiling. When she sat back at her beanbag she noticed that Cas was barefoot too,

 

“No shoes club?” asked the doctor,

 

“You know I’ve always considered socks ‘feet prisons’ and Al looked happy when I joined the club so… yeah, no shoes,” said Cas.

 

“I see,” said Doctor Norton. Al handed the red ball to Cas and opted for placing the shoes and the socks in a line in front of him. Cas grabbed a notebook and a pen from the table and then sat on the floor next to his nephew.

 

“He’s beautiful,” said Doctor Norton.

 

“Yes, he is,” said Cas while drawing on the notebook; he wasn’t looking at the doctor either but he was listening.

 

Doctor Norton smiled and kept taking notes.

* * *

 

“Higher aunt Charlie!” yelled Tegan lifting her legs to the air when the swing reached the higher point,

 

“Just hold on tight, okay? If you fall from this thing your mom’s gonna kill me,” said Charlie. Tegan laughed and held the chains of the swing with all her strength.

 

Leonard was fascinated watching how high her sister could go; he pointed at her and started to laugh.

 

“Your sis is not scared of anything Len, I’m telling you, she’s the bravest kid I know,” said Dean pushing Leonard’s swing.

 

“I’m flying!” she yelled.

 

“Okay kiddo, I’m getting tired… we’re gonna take a break okay?” said Charlie. She gave a step back and stopped pushing the swing, in less than a minute it stopped completely.

 

“That was fun,” said Tegan.

 

“Girl, what do you want to be when you grow up, huh?” asked Charlie handing Tegan a bottle of water.

 

“I want to be an astronaut… uncle Cas says he’s going to teach me everything he knows about the stars,” said Tegan with excitement.

 

“Well, that’s pretty cool,” said Dean smiling. He picked up Leonard from the swing and they walked towards a big tree.

 

“Thanks for bringing us to the park,” said Tegan sitting between Dean and Charlie and leaning on the tree,

 

“You’re welcome kiddo, you had a blast didn’t you?” said Dean,

 

“Yes! I love the park!” said Tegan. Dean poured some water in Leonard’s bottle and then handed it to him.

 

“Well, your mom and Cas are still busy and your aunt Charlie and I are pretty tired, what do you say if we make a quick stop at Target and then we go back to my place to watch a movie?” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan.

 

15 minutes later, after putting everything in the trunk of the car and making sure that the kids were on their car seats, they were on their way to Target.

 

“What do you think? Should we all go in?” asked Charlie once they were in the parking lot,

 

“Nah, it’ll be way easier if I stay in the car with them and you go get what we need,” said Dean. He handed Charlie a 100 and she got out of the car.

 

“I’ll be right back kiddos, be nice to your uncle,” said Charlie waving at the kids.

 

“Uncle Dean,” said Tegan after a couple of minutes,

 

“Yeah?” asked Dean,

 

“Where are mommy and Alan and uncle Cas?”

 

“They went to the doctor,” said Dean,

 

“Is Alan sick?” she asked,

 

“No kiddo, your uncle Cas needed to get a shot and your mommy drove him,” said Dean,

 

“But why did they take Al?” asked Tegan,

 

“Because… your mom thought it would be hard for us to take care of 3 kids at the same time… I mean, none of us has kids, we’re kinda new at this whole ‘taking care of a kid’ stuff,” explained Dean,

 

“Oh… well, you’re doing a good job… I’ll tell mommy so next time Al can come to the park too,” she said.

 

“Thanks kiddo,” said Dean smiling. Tegan went silent for almost a minute.

 

“Uncle Dean,”

 

“Yep?”

 

“Why don’t you have kids? After you get married you have to have kids,” said Tegan,

 

“Wow, who told you that?” asked Dean,

 

“My dad,” said Tegan shyly. Dean fought really hard not to roll his eyes. Michael could be such a hypocrite.

 

“Well… I mean, yeah, normally married couples have kids after a while… but not all of them… do you know what’s a family Teg?” asked Dean; something in the back of his mind kept telling him that he should probably shut up, but he ignored it.

 

“Yes, a mommy and a daddy and their kids,” said Tegan,

 

“Well… you’re right… that’s one kind of family but there are a lot of different kinds of families,” said Dean,

 

“Really?”

 

“For example… your grandpa Bobby… he adopted me and uncle Sammy when we were little and he raised us because we didn’t have a mom or a dad,” said Dean,

 

“Grandpa Bobby isn’t your dad?” she asked with wide eyes,

 

“Of course he is... he raised me, he gave me a home and read me books before bed and he took care of me when I was sick and he sent me and your uncle Sammy to school… doesn’t that sound like a dad?”

 

“Yes, my daddy reads me books and he takes care of me and my brothers,” said Tegan, “so uncle Bobby didn’t make you but he is your dad”.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan, “what else?”

 

“What?”

 

“You said there were lots of families,”

 

“Oh, right… well sometimes there are families of just one mom and a kid or one dad and a kid… sometimes there are families of two dads and a kid or two moms and a kid… grandparents and their grandkids… and sometimes there are families of just a married couple… that’s a family too,” said Dean,

 

“So you don’t need to have kids to have a family?” asked Tegan,

 

“Nope, the only thing you need to have a family is to be surrounded by people you love and people who love you back,” said Dean.

 

“I like spending time with you uncle Dean,” said Tegan,

 

“Why?” asked Dean,

 

“Because sometimes daddy gets tired when I ask things but you never get tired and you always tell me everything, and I learn a lot,” she said,

 

“You can always ask me anything kiddo,” said Dean. Charlie opened the door and got in the car right in that moment,

 

“I’m back… did you have fun?” she said,

 

“Yeah! Uncle Dean told me about all the different families there are… did you know that Grandpa Bobby ad… ado…”

 

“Adopted,” said Dean,

 

“Yes, grandpa Bobby adopted uncle Sammy and Uncle Dean… so he didn’t make them but he’s their dad,” explained Tegan.

 

“Wow, seems like you had a productive chat while I was gone…”

 

“Yes, but don’t worry I can teach you,” said Tegan.

 

“That would be awesome… tell me everything,” said Charlie turning around and paying attention to her niece.

* * *

 

“Okay… so, Al is definitely at some point in the spectrum… like I said before, it is hard sometimes to get an specific diagnosis at this age but for what I could see he’s communicative… he doesn’t talk yet, so we don’t know if he will be verbal,” said the doctor,

 

“Oh no, he does talk,” said Cas, “Al, do you want fruit?” asked Cas,

 

“NO!” said Alan,

 

“That’s his favorite word in the world,” said Cas,

 

“Does he know more words?” asked Dr. Norton,

 

“Nope… well I think I heard him say Bobby the other day but I’m not sure… his brother talks a little more, he knows like 5 words,”

 

“Okay… this is very important, I need you to talk to him a lot, but talk to him like a normal human being, not that weird baby talk some people do, the next months are crucial in his development of speech, he won’t be making full sentences but if he has Asperger’s he will be talking very clearly, like an adult,” she explained,

 

“What do you mean?” asked Jill,

 

“Have you noticed the way Castiel speaks?” asked Doctor Norton,

 

“Yeah,”

 

“He’s always talked like that… since the day I met him… he was an 8 year old and the first thing he said to me when I offered him a soda was ‘no thank you, soda contains huge amounts of sugar and it can damage your teeth,’ it was adorable,” explained the doctor, “it doesn’t mean that when Castiel started talking he sounded like a dictionary… but it means that as soon as he started to talk his language abilities developed pretty fast, according to Chuck, when Castiel was 3 years old he already had a bigger vocabulary than Gabriel who was 5 by the time… I remember he told me that Cas was almost 3 and he would say ‘dad, please walk on the sidewalk a car could hurt you if you walk on the street’; Chuck said it made him laugh all the time,” she said with a smile,

 

“Some kids with autism start talking, only a few words and then they just stop and go non verbal, there are a lot of studies and theories when it comes to the subject but this is something ‘new’ in the area of psychology… we could be 100% sure of the diagnosis by the time he’s between 2 and 3 years old; you’ll have to be patient,” explained Doctor Norton.

 

“Okay,”

 

“I’m going to give you all the information to make Al’s life easier; creating routines and making him feel comfortable are basic… Cas is going to be a lot of help of course and I know that you guys don’t live in Sioux Falls but we can keep in touch with skype or e-mails,”

 

“Thanks a lot doctor, really… I umm… all I want is for my son to be happy, that’s all,”

 

“I’m going to help you with that, I promise,” said Doctor Norton, “now, let me get you all the information and books you’ll need,” the doctor stood up and walked towards a small closet next to her desk; she grabbed a couple of books and a binder. Jill smiled at Cas and felt really thankful for having him and his family.

* * *

 

When Cas and Jill arrived back to the house, Charlie and Tegan were in the kitchen cooking dinner for the kids.

 

“Hi girls,” said Jill,

 

“Mommy! Aunt Charlie is teaching me how to make que-dillas,” said Tegan happily.

 

“Quesadillas,” said Charlie giggling.

 

“Yeah, that,” said Tegan smiling.

 

“That sounds great honey,” said Jill smiling,

 

“Uncle Cas, how are you? Did you get your shot? Uncle Dean told me you were going to the doctor,” said Jill,

 

“Yeah, I’m fine… it was just a routine check-up,” said Cas… “Where’s Dean by the way?” he asked,

 

“He’s upstairs getting Leonard ready for his bath… I already showered, can you braid my hair?”

 

“Yes… but we have to wait for your hair to dry… I’ll do it after dinner okay? Now I’ll go say hi to your uncle Dean,” said Cas,

 

“Okay,” said Tegan.

 

“I’ll go with you, this little dude needs a bath too,” said Jill following Cas.

 

* * *

 

“Okay, water is ready kiddo, time for you to take a bath,” said Dean while Carrying Len with one arm, “lets get rid of those stinky clothes and get you clean,” he walked towards the bed and carefully started undressing his nephew.

 

“Dean?” asked Cas while opening the door,

 

“Hi guys! How did it go?” asked Dean,

 

“Fine, there’s a lot to process but we can talk about it later, okay?” said Jill,

 

“No problem,” said Dean, “hey Al, wanna take a bath with your brother?” asked Dean. Alan smiled because he knew getting a bath meant getting rid of his clothes,

 

“I think that was a yes,” said Cas. They got the babies ready and with Cas and Dean working as a team, in less than 20 minutes the kids were clean and wearing their pajamas. Jill let them do all the work and she observed as her sons interacted with their uncles,

 

“Okay, the twins are clean, dinner for the kids is ready and we have a lot of things to do so… lets go downstairs,” said Dean with a huge smile. Jill placed a kiss on his cheek before walking out of the room,

 

“I guess I passed the test, I’m officially the cool uncle and a babysitter,” said Dean smiling,

 

“You’re the sexy uncle too,” said Cas smiling,

 

“Dude,” said Dean staring at the kids,

 

“Sorry,” said Cas laughing, “c’mon let’s go to the kitchen.”

* * *

 

The twins had chicken nuggets and broccoli for dinner. Tegan choose to have quesadillas instead. They had a nice time talking about their day at the park and Jill even let them stay up longer than usual.

 

“Teg, sweetie, your bedtime passed 20 minutes ago… go brush your teeth and then I’ll go upstairs to tuck you in, okay?” said Jill.

 

“Are we staying here tonight?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yes, your uncles invited us to stay, is that okay?” she asked,

 

“Yes!” Said Tegan.

 

“Okay, go to the room where I left your stuff okay? We’re sleeping there,”

 

“Okay,” Tegan stood up and ran towards the stairs.

* * *

 

After 7 minutes of ‘the little prince,’ the three kids fell asleep. Tegan would share a bed with her mom and the twins were sound asleep in a crib that Bobby usually kept at his place for when the kids visited.

 

After turning on the baby monitor and turning off the lights the adults finally retired to the kitchen to prepare their dinner and talk about the events of the day.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story might be going slow (though who am I kidding? The first part took a lot of Chapters for us to finally see Dean and Cas together). We're getting closer to the 'shit, we're stuck with 3 kids now" part.
> 
> PS: I wrote the notes clearly under the influence of alcohol and allergy pills... I'll probably check this tomorrow after my morning meeting at the office.


	8. What’s your first memory?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas tells the story of how he got diagnosed with Asperger's when he was a kid.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Yesterday was International Asperger's day... I wanted to post this earlier but i was busy. Still, here it is, a perfect chapter to go with the Asperger's day. Please, take a moment tomorrow to tell people about Asperger's or to watch a movie or read about it; that's the whole point of the day, to create awareness.
> 
> I don't know how the diagnosis process works in other countries; in mine you have a speaking interview first and then you answer a long test with a bunch of questions (that part is written). I used that reference and my personal experience to write this chapter. 
> 
> Have a nice day!

* * *

 

Jill and Cas told Charlie and Dean about their experience with Doctor Norton. Jill felt relieved and she was taking the diagnosis pretty fine.

 

“So basically they’re not sure on which part of the spectrum he is in,” said Charlie,

 

“Yes, I mean, doctor Norton said there’s a big chance that it is something genetic so obviously there’s a bigger chance that he has Asperger’s… and well he’s communicating, he only says one word but he really uses it in the right context, which means that he understand that part of communication; Doctor Norton said that his evolution in the communication and talking area are gonna be crucial for the diagnosis,” said Jill.

 

“Wow… well, at least you started at a young age; just think about it, Cas was diagnosed when he was 8 and look at everything he has accomplished… you’re gonna help Al a lot,” said Charlie.

 

“Everything’s gonna be fine Jill,” said Dean while pouring more wine on his glass.

 

“I just want him to be happy, to be himself… I know we have a long way ahead of us but that’s all I really want to be honest,” said Jill.

 

“A supportive and loving family can make all the difference,” said Cas,

 

“Cas… how was it? For your family I mean… did everything change? How did they take it? I… I’m sorry I don’t meant to…” said Jill.

 

“Hey, don’t worry Jill… every case is different, you need to know that, but I’ll gladly share my story with you if you think that would help,” said Cas,

 

“A lot,” said Jill,

 

“ Okay then,” said Cas.

 

_“Mr. Novak? ...Mr. Novak… Castiel! Castiel! Answer the question!” yelled Miss. Jameson standing in front of Cas’s desk._

_“Umm… what?” said Cas who had been busy drawing on his notebook._

_“Castiel Novak, last time I checked this class was Math not Art, quit drawing and pay attention to the front!” The teacher looked really upset; Cas could see that her hands were shaking like mom’s did when she was upset. He placed his pencil over his notebook and then raised his face, staring at the front of the classroom._

_“So?” said the teacher,_

_“So?” asked Cas,_

_“Answer the question… look at the blackboard,” said the teacher._

_“Oh,” said Cas, “the answer is 40,” said Cas._

_“You answered too fast,” said the old lady,_

_“You… wanted me to answer,” said Cas squinting his eyes._

_“Okay, explain your answer,” she ordered._

_“It says 16+4+4+8+8 the answer is 40 because all those numbers are divisible by 8, there are 2 eights in 16 and 4 plus 4 is eight, that means that we have 5 eights... 8x5 is 40,” said Cas,_

_“Mr. Novak… were did you learn that?” asked Miss. Jameson._

_“I don’t know… It’s just… logical,” said Cas._

_“Castiel this is the fourth time this week, stop trying to impress your classmates, answer the way you’re supposed to; we’re on math book, page 15… we won’t be seeing multiplications or divisions until unit 5 of the book, so please stick to unit one… you’re going to get confused if you keep trying to teach yourself,” said the teacher clearly exasperated._

_“But I’m not confused and I can’t help it if I can understand how to multiply or divide,” he answered, he couldn’t understand why the teacher was upset, after all, he had answered the question in the blackboard._

_“You know what? If you love so much to read new lessons and learn by yourself, why don’t you go and do it at the principal’s office?” Castiel squinted his eyes and stared at the teacher without knowing what to do._

_“Go to the principal’s office Castiel! And tell her that I want a meeting with your parents!” yelled Miss. Jameson._

_Cas grabbed his stuff and walked towards the door while his classmates made fun of him. The only one who wasn’t laughing, was Dean, who was staring at the teacher with rage in his eyes; Dean turned his attention to Cas,_

_“It’s okay,” mouthed Cas from the door before leaving the room._

* * *

 

 

_The secretary wasn’t around when Cas arrived to the principal office but since Miss. Jameson had told him to go and read at the principal’s office he opened the door and took a sit in front of the principal’s desk._

_“Castiel Novak, what are you doing here honey?” asked principal Barnes when she walked into her office 15 minutes later only to find Castiel in there, reading a math book and crying in silence._

_“I umm… I’m reading a new lesson of my math book,” said Cas._

_“Is there any particular reason for you to be doing it here honey? And to be crying?” she was a nice lady; she was new at school, the previous principal, Mr. Clark, had retired a few months back._

_Cas told her what had happened at his classroom, he was very confused because the teacher had told him to stop reading other lessons that weren’t lesson 1 but then she had sent him to the principal’s office to read his book and she also wanted to talk to his parents._

_“Honey, don’t cry… I’m going to tell you a secret… Miss. Jameson is old and she has archaic thoughts,” she said,_

_“Yes, I know that,” answered Cas. Principal Barnes didn’t say anything for a few seconds she just looked at Cas._

_“So what’s the problem with your classes? Do you want us to change you to the other classroom maybe?”_

_“No, I don’t have a problem with my classes, they’re just boring, that’s all,” said Castiel._

_“Castiel, I think I know what the problem is… do you know what an IQ is?”_

_“Yes,” said Cas._

_“Have you ever been tested? Do you know your IQ?” she picked up her phone._

_“No and no” said Cas. She pressed a button on her phone and waited for a couple of seconds,_

_“Tina, can you please send me Castiel Novak’s file? Yes… thank you,”_

_“What’s happening”? Asked Castiel,_

_“You’re not in trouble kiddo, don’t worry… do you think your parents might be able to pay a visit to the school if I call them?” she asked._

_“Yes, today is a Tuesday which means that my dad doesn’t go to work until 5 pm; and my mother is always home,” he answered._

_“Okay, then…” said the principal. Once she got Cas’s file she opened it and realized that in fact, he had perfect grades and wasn’t a problematic child; still she found a lot of notes from the teachers regarding his ‘weird behavior,’ she smiled and after finding his parent’s phone number she grabbed her phone again._

* * *

 

_“I don’t understand… is he in trouble or not?” asked Naomi. Cas was sitting between his parents at the principal’s office._

_“No, he’s not Mrs. Novak… I just need your authorization so the school psychologist can run some tests and determine if Castiel needs to be removed from the third grade,” explained Principal Barnes._

_“You can’t do that… I know he’s shy and a little slow but he’s not stupid, he has perfect grades,” said Naomi upset._

_“What? Oh no, I think he’s too smart for his grade, he gets bored and he already knows what they are learning,”_

_“Cas, do you want that?” asked Chuck,_

_“I don’t know,” he said. He was scared, he already knew all his classmates and he had Dean in his class, he was his only friend; they had just met over the summer but he was his best friend already._

_“Principal Barnes, if Cas doesn’t want to get tested then he wont, really… it’s all up to him,” said Chuck._

_“Cas… can I call you Cas?” asked Principal Barnes. Cas nodded,_

_“We can make a deal… you talk to the school psychologist and get the IQ test but even if it turns out that you’re a super genius and that you could basically go to college next month… you decide what you want,”_

_“Okay,” said Cas shyly._

* * *

 

_“Hey, breathe… remember how Bobby told you,” said Dean sitting next to Cas in a corner of the tree house._

_“I can’t, I’m so nervous,” said Cas. He leaned on Dean’s shoulder and closed his eyes trying to contain his tears._

_“Cas, it’s okay to cry sometimes, don’t worry… I won’t tell anyone,” said Dean. Cas nodded and started to cry in silence. Dean just sat there patting his friend’s shoulder from time to time._

_“I… what if it turns out that I’m stupid? Michael always says that I’m an idiot and Miss. Jameson hates me and…. And… I’m slow, people make fun of me and they call me names,” said Cas after a while; he started to scratch his hand,_

_“Cas, you’re not stupid… you’re like the smartest kid I know; remember how I told you I was having trouble with English in my old school but you helped me and gave me that book and now I really love the class? You did that, you’re not stupid,” said Dean._

_“What if they send me to first grade again?” asked Cas,_

_“Then I’ll go back to first grade with you… I’ll ask Bobby I’m sure he wont mind,” said Dean._

_“Thank you,” said Cas._

_“Anytime; you’ve been so cool with my brother and me since we met… we had an awesome summer… and this city isn’t that bad now that we have you and Gabe,” said Dean smiling._

_“Dean, I think I want to take a nap… I’m tired,” said Cas._

_“Really? We didn’t have P.E today,” said Dean._

_“I know, but I feel really tired, like the way you feel after eating a lot of cake,” explained Cas._

_“Oh, okay,” said Dean. He grabbed a couple of pillows and handed one to Cas._

_10 minutes later they were both sound asleep next to each other on the tree house floor._

* * *

 

 

_“I told you this test was stupid… now we have to see more doctors… we should have left everything the way it was,” said Naomi in Doctor Norton’s waiting room. The school had sent them there after Cas’s tests. They said Cas was obviously pretty smart but his social skills were what troubled them. Mentally Cas was ready to go to middle school, high school even but at the same time, in some areas of the test he was really immature and slow._

_“Naomi, please lets not run into conclusions until we’ve talked to this doctor, I can assure you that there’s nothing wrong with Cas,” said Chuck._

_“I’m sorry mom,” said Cas._

_“It’s not your fault son… is that school, their test probably wasn’t okay… we should send you to a private school, there are a couple of good catholic schools in the area and they have smaller groups, that’s what you need… public schools are louder and crowded and…”_

_“Castiel Novak,” called the receptionist._

_“Yes,” said Cas._

_“Doctor Norton is ready for you,”_

_They stood up and walked towards the office._

* * *

 

_Cas immediately liked Doctor Norton. She was smart and she thought Cas was smart too. She asked him a lot of questions but Cas wasn’t bored with the questions, they were funny because it was like she knew him. She asked him if he hated loud noises and weird textures, which he did. She asked him if he had learned to read on his own when he was really young,_

_“How did you know?” asked Cas surprised,_

_“I’m going to take that as a yes”,_

_“Yes, I learned to read when I was three… it just happened, one day I just started reading out loud with dad while he was reading me a bed time story,” said Cas._

_“Did I tell you that?” asked Chuck._

_“No, I remember,” said Cas._

_“So you have a good memory too?” asked the doctor._

_“I guess,”_

_“What’s your first memory?” asked the doctor,_

_“I don’t know if it was a dream but… I was sitting on the floor watching TV with my brothers and Gabe wanted candy; there was a bowl with chocolates over the TV… but it was too high to reach… Gabe pulled the drawers and used them as stairs to reach but when he grabbed the bowl he lost balance and he fell… I think he cut his hand when the bowl shattered and dad came running when he heard the noise,” said Cas._

_“It wasn’t a dream… Gabriel was almost 4 when that happened, which means that you were 2 years old,” answered Chuck._

_“Castiel, you really seem to have a great memory… tell me, do you have a favorite topic?” asked Doctor Norton._

_“Yes… bees,” said Cas._

_“What can you tell me about bees?”_

_“Oh, dear lord,” whispered Naomi closing her eyes._

_It was 1998 so Wikipedia wasn’t a thing back then; Cas had read every single book he had found about bees and he was obsessed with the subject; Castiel started to recite every single detail he knew about bees, he was like a walking ‘bee encyclopedia’._

_“Wow,” said Doctor Norton._

_“When he really likes something, he’s really passionate about it,” said Chuck._

_“I can see that,” said Doctor Norton smiling and taking notes._

_“Castiel I think I have asked all I needed to ask, why don’t you go play there while I talk with your parents?” asked Doctor Norton. He nodded and walked towards a corner of the room, which had a lot of different toys, including puzzles and Legos. He was about to grab a set of Legos when he found a Rubik’s cube and he ended up picking that one._

_“What do you think doctor?” asked Chuck while holding Naomi’s hand._

_“He’s something else, isn’t he? I … wow,” she said, “umm… I’ve been studying for a while; in fact I just came back from Spain, where I studied about this particular disorder, I don’t know if this sounds familiar to you but Asperger’s syndrome is characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication; those are the reasons why Castiel was referred to me in the first place. I also noticed that he has restricted and repetitive patterns; he scratches his hand and I think he counts things around him when he’s bored. And well, you’re his parents, you know the way he obsesses when he likes something, that’s another characteristic,”_

_“So, are you saying that Castiel has a mental disease?” asked Naomi scared._

_“No, no… this is… it’s really hard to explain. Asperger’s syndrome shares some characteristics with autism,” started Doctor Norton,_

_“But he’s not autistic, he talks,” said Naomi._

_“There are autistic people who can talk, that’s not the point… he shares some characteristics with autism but not all of them… he can tell you when he’s cold or when he needs something for example… he’s really smart, he’s incredibly talented… but he also has problems to socialize and to understand sarcasm… to understand jokes, he’s extremely honest and he can’t differentiate facial expressions sometimes,” said the doctor._

_“Yes… that’s… Naomi, I think she’s describing Cas,” said Chuck._

_“But he’s not stupid?” asked Naomi. Right in that moment Cas started to clap._

_“Look dad, mom! I solved the cube… Since you already bought me my birthday present, can I have one of these for Christmas?” asked Cas._

_“Wow…” said Chuck._

_“Umm… sure, you can ask Santa for one,” said Naomi in shock._

_“Santa isn’t real mom, it’s quite improbable that a single man can travel through the entire world to deliver gifts to children in a single night…” said Cas without removing his eyes from the cube._

_“What?” asked Chuck and Naomi at the same time,_

_“Also, last year I saw a bike hidden in the basement and a couple of weeks later that same bike was Michael’s Christmas gift from Santa,” said Cas._

_“See? Your kid is a freaking genius!” said Doctor Norton laughing._

_“But what about the social skills? Can you help with that?” asked Naomi._

_“You need to understand that there’s no cure for this… he was born with it and he’s going to live with it his whole life. We’re going to have to run some tests to see in which part of the Asperger’s spectrum he is, but for what I can tell he’s on a high level… I would recommend therapy, once a week,” said the doctor._

_“But why therapy if it doesn’t have a cure?” asked Naomi._

_“Because your son needs to learn those social skills… this isn’t teaching him about manners; he will always find it hard to understand society, his brain is too logical and people isn’t,” said Doctor Norton._

_“I don’t understand,” said Naomi._

_“For example, I saw his school record; he has excellent grades but I also found some notes,” she grabbed a sheet of paper from her desk, “a couple of years ago he had a big argument with a teacher about the real primary colors; Castiel ended up throwing his pencil colors to the floor because he said, and I quote ‘my computer is smarter than you,’ he then was sent to the principal’s office; I also have here phrases like ‘Orcas aren’t whales,’ and then he left he classroom upset; ‘Miss. Smith are you an alcoholic?’ after his teacher had shown up to class with a hangover; and my personal favorite ‘Miss. Smith I refuse to work with Donald because he still eats glue and crayons and this is a science project not kindergarten,’ all those happened just on his first grade of school,” said Doctor Norton._

_“Oh my God,” said Naomi covering her face._

_“I mean, there’s nothing wrong with having a personality and strong opinion on things but… he needs to learn that sometimes expressing that can lead to him getting in trouble but at the same time he needs to learn that there’s nothing wrong with being who he is,” explained the doctor._

_“Therapy sounds like an excellent idea, that would help him with the tantrum situation as well?” asked Chuck,_

_“Yes, in fact… I have a few tips for that, I’ll explain everything to you… those aren’t just normal tantrums, those are called meltdowns… after your son has one of those he ends up mentally exhausted and he sleeps a lot, doesn’t he?”_

_Both parents nodded,_

_“Those are things that he needs to learn how to deal with, our main goal here is for Cas to be a functional member of society and to be able to grow up happy,” said Doctor Norton._

_“I have a question,” said Cas walking towards the adults,_

_“Yes?” Said Doctor Norton._

_“Mom, can I take off my sweater… it’s itchy,” asked Cas._

_“Castiel!” said Naomi._

_“That’s another thing, textures are a big deal for people with Asperger’s, I would recommend to remove all the labels from his clothes and let him pick fabrics that are comfortable for him,” said the Doctor._

_“I already like this therapy thing,” said Cas smiling. Chuck ruffled his hair and helped him take off his sweater._

_“Okay, if Cas wants to do this then lets do this,” said Chuck._

_“Okay,” said Doctor Norton, “I’m going to give you the official introductory talk and we’re going to make the test for the official diagnosis, you’re gonna be stuck here for a while today but after that, Cas can come to all his therapy sessions alone… I would like to see you once a month and discuss his progress and your progress, okay? ... I also would like to talk to your other sons about the subject, they need to understand the situation too,”_

_“Perfect,” said Chuck smiling._

_“Oh and, other thing… Castiel, you should look for a TV show called ‘Doctor Who’ I think you’re going to like it… they stopped producing it a few years ago but it’s about time travel and adventures in space… you just said that it is quite improbable for a single man to travel around the world in just one day, you should watch this show,” she said smiling._

_“Wow… can we stop by the video store on our way home, please?” asked Cas._

_“Sure son,” said Chuck smiling._

* * *

 

 

“And what happened next day? Did you go to school and tell everybody about your condition?” asked Jill,

 

“No, Doctor Norton recommended to keep going with my life, I needed to perfectly understand what was going on with me first… before I could try to explain it to the rest of the world,” said Cas.

 

“Are we talking about being gay or being an aspie? Asked Charlie,

 

“Applies for both cases,” said Cas smiling.

 

“What about Gabe and Michael?” asked Jill,

 

“My parents took them to see Doctor Norton the next month, when we had our first ‘family therapy,’ I think even though Gabriel was the younger he was the one who understood the most,” said Cas.

 

“Why?” Asked Charlie,

 

“He gave me a bag of gummy bears and then he said that if I didn’t like the texture he would give me his chocolate even tough it was his favorite,” said Cas with a smile.

“What about Michael?” asked Jill.

 

“He was a teenager Jill… I was about to turn 9… he was 14, almost 15,” was Cas’s answer.

 

“He was a jerk, wasn’t he?” she asked.

 

“He asked if I would grow up to be a normal person… because ‘I didn’t sign up for taking care of him when you two die, okay? That’s all I want to know… is he going to be normal? I don’t want to take care of him forever, I’m going to have a perfect life and a perfect family and taking care of my ret… stupid brother isn’t part of that future,’ Gabe said he would take care of me but Doctor Norton assured them that I would grow up just fine,” explained Cas.

“wow,” said Charlie. She knew the story of Cas’s diagnosis but not every detail about it; this was the first time she heard what Michael had said.

 

“But you reached the goal… you became a functional member of society and look at you, you have a house, a husband… a normal adult life,” said Jill; she felt guilty for his husband’s behavior.

 

“Yes… and I’m obsessed with Doctor Who too… all that thanks to the help of Doctor Norton,” said Cas smiling. Jill smiled back; she still looked a little worried,

 

“Jill, we know you have a lot of questions and that you’re scared…. So shoot,” Jill took a deep breath,

 

“Okay… so, how do I tell Mike?”

* * *

 


	9. Never underestimate the power of pizza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas are babysitting. There's an emergency in Kraken but Cas saves the day. Michael finds out about Alan's condition. Alan tries pizza for the first time and Cas gets really drunk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back... I haven't had time to draw but I wanted to update. I hope you liked it... also, i don't know if you noticed but I added the following note to this work:
> 
> (NOTE: I changed the story from being set 3 years after the previous one to being set 4 years after because apparently I don't know how to do simple mathematical operations and it wasn't until I was writing down birthdays and all that Jazz that I realized that I had skipped a year! So, let's pretend this didn't happen and now everything should work fine... I'll be fixing the numbers in the chapters where they mention how long it has been but the story stays the same.) 
> 
> So yeah, I was working on chapter 11 when I realized my mistake, but luckily I fixed it and now the ages are alright... I kinda forgot that I also need to add 9 months before a kid is born and maybe it doesn't make a lot of sense for this chapter but it was important for chapters 11 and 12.
> 
> Have a nice day, I should go to bed and get some rest.

* * *

 

July 30th

 

“Uncle Dean, where’s mom?” asked Tegan walking into the kitchen,

 

“She and your grandpa Chuck went to pick up your dad from the airport, pumpkin,” said Dean; he was making lunch for Tegan,

 

“Oh, okay,” she said. Dean handed her a cookie and she smiled and grabbed it happily.

 

“Uncle Dean,” she said while eating her cookie,

 

“Yeah?” asked Dean.

 

“Do you have a job?” she asked,

 

“Yeah, I do, I work with your grandpa Bobby,” said Dean laughing,

 

“But you’re always here,” said Tegan,

 

“I took the week off… I’m on vacation because I wanted to spend time with you guys,” explained Dean,

 

“Oh… that’s cool,” said Tegan.

 

“Hey, are you ready? Uncle Gabe is almost here to pick you up,” said Dean looking at the hour.

 

“Yes, I just need Uncle Cas to braid my hair but he’s changing the twins,” said Tegan.

 

“Jesus, that sounds like a task for 2…” said Dean cleaning his hands on his jeans, “Teg, can you sit here and have your lunch while I go help uncle Cas?”

 

“Yes,” she said. Dean placed a plate with chicken nuggets, mac & cheese, cucumber slices and baby carrots on the table. He also grabbed a box of juice from the fridge.

 

“Okay, sure you’re okay by yourself for a couple of minutes?” asked Dean.

 

“I’m 5 years old uncle Dean, I’m not a baby,” she said while sitting down.

 

“Okay, I’m gonna trust you on that one, please behave because if something happens your mom’s gonna kill me,”

 

“I promise,” said Tegan. Dean ruffled her hair and ran upstairs to help Cas.

 

“Cas?” he opened the door of their room and found Cas changing Len’s clothes; Alan was in the floor playing with Nik, he also was only wearing a diaper.

 

“Hello Dean,” said Cas,

 

“Everything okay?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes, I was putting a Blu-ray for them to watch and when I turned around they had poured a glass of water on their clothes, how they managed to make a mess in all their clothes with just one glass of water? I have no idea,” said Cas chuckling.

 

“I’ll give you a hand,” said Dean. He picked up Alan from the floor and placed him on the bed,

 

“Okay kiddo, what are we wearing today?” asked Dean. He grabbed a shirt from the kids’ suitcase but as soon as he touched it he knew the kid wasn’t going to like it so he threw it to the floor,

 

“Is it dirty?” asked Cas,

 

“Nope, it felt wrong… like that pink shirt I had that made your teeth ache whenever you touched it,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, wow… what if he doesn’t hate it? He needs to decide if he likes the texture or not, we can’t dress him based on which textures I like or dislike,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” said Dean. He picked up the shirt and handed it to Al; the little kid took it in his hands and then threw it away with a pout,

 

“You were saying?” said Dean laughing; he grabbed a small white t-shirt, he liked it for the texture, it was like the shirts Cas liked to use; when he turned it around he noticed it was the one he had bought for Al’s birthday.

 

“Hey, look at that, we actually bought him a shirt that looks awesome and feels awesome,” said Dean. Alan let his uncle dress him without trouble; Dean was right, picking the clothes based on texture was an amazing idea. Alan didn’t have a problem with Jeans either so he actually looked pretty cool after Dean finished dressing him.

 

“No shoes?” asked Dean,

 

“No… let him be, we’re going to stay in for the rest of the evening,” said Cas.

 

“Okay… so, is Len ready too?” Leonard was wearing a blue button up with a pattern of tinny rubber ducks and black jeans.

 

“Yes,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, lets go downstairs, Tegan is having lunch already.”

* * *

 

“Can we go to the movies then? We never get to go anymore because the twins cry,” Dean heard Tegan talking in the kitchen.

 

“Who are you talking to pumpkin?” Asked Dean while walking into the kitchen; he had Alan on his arms,

 

“I’m talking to Tegan; who are you talking to apple pie?” answered Gabe who was sitting next to Tegan.

 

“Oh, hi Gabe,” said Dean rolling his eyes. He sat Alan on his high chair.

 

“What? No more cute pet names for me?” asked Gabe laughing,

 

“No, thanks,” said Dean. Cas placed Leonard on his high chair as well and then went to help Tegan with her hair. She was still having lunch and the twins had already had theirs an hour before,

 

“Hey, now that I think about it, do you two lovebirds have pet names for each other?” asked Gabe, “I think I’ve never heard you use terms of endearment,”

 

“Of course we do, I call Cas ‘babe’ and he calls me ‘hello Dean,’ all the time,” said Dean while placing a bowl of salad on the table.

 

“Oh, so that’s you two being romantic?” asked Gabe.

 

“Yes, sometimes when we’re really in the mood he calls me Castiel James Novak-Winchester, but that just for like our anniversary and special dates,” said Cas finishing with Tegan’s hair.

 

“Dick,” said Gabe,

 

“Dude, language!” said Dean while placing 3 plates with lasagna on the table,

 

“Sorry, sorry,” apologized Gabe.

 

“But, seriously though,” he said looking at Cas who was taking a seat next to Dean.

 

“What?” asked Cas. He put a big serving of salad on his plate and began to eat,

 

“No cute pet names, not even in those moments of…?” asked Gabe,

 

“From all the topics you could have picked today Gabriel,” said Cas.

 

“Sorry, I had a weird day… so, how did yesterday go?” he finally changed the subject.

 

“I’m… there’s a big possibility that Alan might have inherited something else from this family apart from his eyes and the hair,” said Cas looking at Tegan. He didn’t want to talk about the situation in front of her.

 

“Oh, is umm… Mrs. Norton sure?” asked Gabe, he suddenly looked really worried.

 

“Yes, a 100% he’s on the spectrum but we can’t know for sure where until there’s more development, specially in the communication area,” said Cas,

 

“So maybe like you… I mean, he talks and stuff,” said Gabe.

 

“Maybe like me, maybe somewhere a little higher in the spectrum, we don’t know yet,” said Cas.

 

“When?” Asked Gabe looking at his nephew.

 

“At least another year and a half,” said Cas.

 

“Shit,” said Gabe.

 

“Language!” said Tegan; Dean and Cas laughed,

 

“Okay little lady, have you finished your food?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes,” she said,

 

“Fine, go brush your teeth and you can watch some TV while we finish our meal, we’ll call you when uncle Gabe is ready to go,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, thanks,” said Tegan; she stood up and placed her plate in the sink then she ran upstairs.

 

“So let me see if I got this… he’s in the spectrum but they don’t know where yet because he’s too young?” asked Gabe.

 

“Exactly, I mean, it is obvious that he doesn’t have a high level of autism but he only says one word while his brother says 5… so he could be in the ‘functional autism area’ or he could be in the ‘Asperger’s’ area… it’s a little harder now that they mashed them all together in one category, but doctor Norton says he seems to be able to communicate… he’s very good at letting us know when he hates something so that’s a good start, we need to talk more to him, talk like normal people, that could help with the talking development,” said Cas. Gabe finished his food in silence; he clearly had a lot in his mind. Cas and Dean were worried too but they knew that Al would be fine.

 

They finished their food and started cleaning the kitchen; the twins had left a mess earlier when they had their lunch.

 

“Hey, Gabe… don’t be sad man, what he needs is for us to be there for him, not to act like he’s broken… we’ve all been through this once, we can do it again,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” said Gabe.

 

“I know how to cheer you up,” said Dean,

 

“How?” asked Gabe; Dean walked towards Cas, who was placing the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and hug him from behind,

 

“mmh… Mr. Spock I think there’s something wrong with the ship,” said Dean with a low voice. Cas didn’t understand at first but then he saw Dean winking at him.

 

“Oh, what seems to be the problem Mr. Kirk?” asked Cas,

 

“There’s something wrong with the lever,” said Dean,

 

“What is it?” asked Cas turning around,

 

“It’s so hard, I can’t move it,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, I can give you a helping hand,” said Cas trying not to laugh. Dean pulled him into a fake passionate kiss and then Cas pushed him. They both fell to the floor and Gabe couldn’t see them because they were behind the kitchen island.

 

“Oh Captain Kirk! Impregnate me!” said Cas laughing out loud.

 

“For the love of God, stop… stop … I get it okay? Not my business how you call each other…” Said Gabe covering his ears. Dean and Cas stood up; they were red from all the laughing.

 

“Are you sure Gabe? We can also show you the Harry Potter one, or the Doctor who one… that one is something else,” said Dean,

 

“You know, with the sonic screwdrivers and all that,” said Cas,

 

“Can you please stop desecrating my favorite shows and movies?” said Gabe.

 

“I thought you didn’t like Star Trek,” said Dean,

 

“Charlie made me watch it a few months ago… now I’m kinda obsessed, so please I would really appreciate if you just…” he signaled at them and made a face of disgust.

 

“Wow, we finally managed to make you feel uncomfortable,” said Cas.

 

“Yes, very… now, if you excuse me, I’m going to take my goddaughter to the movies,” said Gabe, “TEEEGAAN” he yelped.

 

“Sorry dude, you were really annoying when you started asking,” said Dean. Tegan came running in that moment and hugged her uncles,

 

“Bye uncle Cas, bye uncle Dean, see you later,” said Tegan.

 

“Bye kiddo, take care of your uncle okay?” said Dean.

 

“Yes,” said Tegan smiling. They said goodbye again and then Gabriel and Tegan left.

 

“Oh man, I love making your brother feel uncomfortable,” said Dean placing a kiss on Cas’s cheek,

 

“Totally,” said Cas,

 

“By the way… I just found out what I want to do for my birthday,” said Dean wiggling his eyebrows,

 

“What? Dean! Are you crazy? Captain Kirk would never ask Spock for help if there’s a problem with the ship… he would ask Scotty,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, shut up nerd… don’t ruin it for me,” said Dean laughing.

 

Cas’s phone went off in that moment,

 

“Hello Benny,” he answered,

 

“Hey Brother, are you busy?” asked Benny,

 

“Not really, is something wrong?” asked Cas,

 

“No, I mean, it’s not an emergency… fuck, who am I kidding… it kinda is and we need you to come to the office,” said Benny,

 

“Why?” asked Cas,

 

“I don’t know how but one of the interns managed to erase the final file of the design for the flyers we need to present tomorrow, you’re the only one with another copy, it’s not the latest version but it was the last you made before the final changes, better to work from that file than from scratch… and it’s in your computer, in your office… and knowing that you’re mister ‘don’t touch my stuff and everything has a password and is encrypted’, we kinda need you to come and help,”  

 

“Crap, that’s going to take a few hours to fix, who was it?” asked Cas,

 

“Tom, he’s been here only for a week and apparently he had never used a mac before… and don’t worry Meg already took care of him,”

 

“Did she fire him?” asked Cas,

 

“No, but she yelled at him for like 20 minutes and then she put him on coffee and copies duty for the rest of the month,” explained Benny,

 

“Poor guy,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, you’re lucky Tegan just left to the movies with Gabe, we’re taking care of the twins though so I’m taking Dean with me, okay?” said Cas.

 

“Dude, this is your office, you can even bring Nik if you want as long as we can fix this shit,” said Benny,

 

“Okay, see you in 30 minutes,” said Cas.

 

“What is it?” Asked Dean when Cas hanged up.

 

“A little emergency at the office,” said Cas while lifting Alan from his chair, “an intern erased a file they need to print samples of flyers for a presentation tomorrow, I’m the only person who has a copy of that file… and the file I have still needs a few modifications that they had already done while I was gone, so they have to fix it again and then print the samples and get everything ready for tomorrow,”

 

“Why the hell does no one else have a copy?” asked Dean,

 

“That’s an excellent question that I’m going to solve on Monday in a general meeting with all the design department… how can I go on a book tour knowing that stuff like this can happen?” said Cas.

 

“So we’re going to Kraken then?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes, is it okay with you?” asked Cas,

 

“Yea babe, no problem… I just need to brush my teeth and put on a clean shirt and I’m good to go,” said Dean,

 

“Great, lets go upstairs then, I also need to brush my teeth and we need to grab a bag with stuff for the twins,” said Cas.

* * *

 

Exactly 27 minutes later Cas and Dean, each carrying a twin, walked into Kraken.

 

“Good afternoon sir,” said Alex,

 

“Alex, please call me Cas,” said Castiel, “have you seen Benny?”

 

“He was in a meeting, let me call to his office to see if he’s done,” said Alex, “May I help you?” asked Alex to Dean,

 

“Umm, no… I’m Dean, Cas is my husband,” said Dean,

 

“Oh, sorry I’m kinda new here… nice to meet you Dean, I’m Alex,” she said smiling.

 

“Nice meeting you too,” said Dean. She waited for Benny to pick up the phone,

 

“Your kids are beautiful by the way… they look a lot like Cas,” said Alex.

 

“Yeah, I know, the eyes right?” answered Dean,

 

“Yes… oh wait… Benny? Mr. No ... I mean, Cas is here, are you done with your meeting? Okay, I’ll tell him, bye,” she hanged up and looked at Cas,

 

“He says he’ll see you at design in 5 minutes,” said Alex,

 

“Thanks,” said Cas.

 

“Well, I guess it’s ‘bring your husband and nephews to the work’ day,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Oh, I thought they were your kids,” said Alex,

 

“No, they’re Michael’s… Cas’s oldest brother, we’re babysitting,” said Dean. He followed Cas to the elevator and waved goodbye to Alex.

 

“They do look like you, you know?” asked Dean when they were in the elevator,

 

“Just the eyes,” said Cas looking at the kids on the reflection of the mirror wall of the elevator. The doors opened and they walked out of the elevator and straight to the design department,

 

“Meg, Tamika,” said Cas when he saw them looking like maniacs in front of a computer,

 

“Cas, oh thank God! Meg was about to kill a couple of interns,” said Tamika,

 

“It helps me to relax and focus,” said Meg smiling… “Oh my God, Dean you gave birth… they are adorable,” she said looking at the twins, “don’t worry eventually you’ll lose all the weight you gained with the pregnancy”; Dean rolled his eyes,

 

“You are aware this kids aren’t newborns right? I need to be sure that you can differentiate between a newborn and a 1 year old… I worry about you Meg,” said Dean. Meg flipped him off and Cas rolled his eyes,

 

“Guys, can you please act like normal human beings in front of the children,” said Cas,

 

“Sorry,” said Dean and Meg at the same time.

 

“Okay, so are we still in the same place with the flyer problem?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, the only other copy was in this computer but just this morning it decided to stop working,” said Tamika.

 

“That sucks,” said Dean.

 

“Cas, brother,” said Benny looking tired and stressed, “Please tell me you’re here to save us,”

 

“Yes, don’t worry… let me just go to my office and get the file,” said Dean,

 

“Hey kiddos, wanna see Cas’s office? It’s pretty sweet,” said Dean. He followed Cas to the elevator again.

* * *

 

It took Cas 5 minutes to get the file and then he handed it to Meg.

 

“Are you going to leave?” asked Meg,

 

“No… first I need to make sure that this flyer is exactly the way it’s supposed to look… who’s going to work on it?” Asked Cas,

 

“I am… and Tamika is helping me… there’s no way I’m letting those stupid interns touch this,” said Meg,

 

“Don’t be so hard on them… and please let me know when they come back from their break, I want to talk to everyone, we’re having a department meeting on Monday and I want to let them know personally,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” she said walking out of the office.

 

“Wow, this is crazy,” said Dean.

 

“This is a very important client Dean, tomorrow’s presentation could mean a lot of money for Kraken,” said Cas.

 

“The girls are gonna fix it, don’t worry,” said Dean; he was sitting on the couch with a twin on each arm.

 

“Yes, I know they will… this is the kind of thing that make me feel bad about leaving for long periods of time… sometimes I think I should leave my place to someone who can be here every day,” said Cas.

 

“Cas, this is your business… and those two have learned everything from you, don’t worry. You love this job and when you’re not here to do it, you know that they are,” said Dean.

 

“You always say the right things,” said Cas smiling. He stood up and sat next to Dean; he placed a chaste kiss on his husband’s lips and then turned his attention to the kids,

 

“And you two,” said Cas, “pay attention to this, you’re my godsons which means a part of this is going to be yours one day… not entirely of course, I mean… Benny, Charlie and Ash are owners too and I’m pretty sure Sam’s going to make us godparents of one of his kids when he and Jess start a family… but you’re going to own a part of this, I hope you’re responsible adults and don’t waste it,”

 

“Wow, I’ve never thought about it, these two have a part of Kraken, basically 80% of the garage and a big slice of the money that comes from the books… and they don’t even know how to run yet,” said Dean, “must suck to be you, kiddos,” he smiled.

 

“I love them so much,” said Cas looking at them,

 

“And they love you too, a lot,” said Dean.

 

“You think?” asked Cas,

 

“Dude, the way Al looks at you, he adores you,” said Dean. Cas lifted Al and placed him on his lap.

 

“Doctor Norton said we should talk to you a lot… I was thinking you might like music too, I love music… when I was a kid I loved going to Dean’s room and listen to his old records while he talked to me and told me about his day at school. I guess Sam was right, we were always like a married couple,” said Cas smiling. “You know? I remember one particular time, I had had an awful day, I hated my tutor, she was really old and moody… and that day I couldn’t wait for Dean to come back but it started to rain so bad, it was pouring… and my tutor couldn’t leave because of the storm so she kept trying to teach me even though ‘my classes were over’ so I told her that I was going to the bathroom and I went upstairs and put a change of clothes in a plastic bag and I put on my rain boots and then I took a deep breath and ran and ran until I reached the main door and she was like ‘where are you going Castiel?’ and I just yelled ‘oooout’ while I ran towards Bobby’s house,” said Cas.

 

“Wow, I remember that day, I got home, Bobby had to go pick us up from school because of the rain and when I walked into my room I found you there lying on my bed and your hair was a mess, all damp. You were shaking… and after I changed clothes we made a blanket nest in the floor, I put a Bob Dylan record and we just sat there, your head resting on my leg and I told you about my day and it was pretty cool,” said Dean.

 

“And then Bobby came upstairs asking if you knew why the hell was the dryer on and that dad had called looking for me,” said Cas.

 

“You know? The way he looked at us, I think he knew… he new we were in love before we even knew,” said Dean.

 

“That day meant so much to me Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Really?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes I had a massive crush on you and I was worried because I didn’t know if you were still talking to me because you were my friend or because you felt sorry for me… and that day you played with my hair while you talked and I don’t know, that simple action made me understand that you really were comfortable around me, that I was still your best friend,” said Cas smiling.

 

“At first, I didn’t realize I was playing with your hair and then I noticed and I kinda freaked out but I saw that you looked really comfortable so I just kept going…”he ruffled Cas’s blue hair, “you know? One day you should write a book about our story, you could change our names of course, but there’s a lot of material there to write an awesome love story,” said Dean.

 

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” said Cas smiling.

* * *

 

When Charlie heard that Cas was in the office she ran upstairs because the elevator wasn’t fast enough. She knocked on Cas’s door and when se opened it she found a bunch of cushions and blankets on the floor, Dean was playing with Len and Cas had a sleeping Alan leaning on his legs while he worked in his laptop. Charlie snapped a picture and smiled,

 

“You look cute, what’s up guys?” she asked,

 

“Hi Charlie, did you hear what happened at the design department?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, it sucks… the hard drive of the computer is fried by the way, so there’s no way you’re getting those files back… luckily we have everything on the cloud and your computer… I just can’t believe they hadn’t saved the most recent copy of that damn flyer,” she said sitting next to Dean and Len.

 

“Well, at least Meg and Tamika are working on it now, we’re on time to fix it,” said Cas.

 

“Have you heard of Jill and Mike?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, they’re at Chuck’s… talking, Jill said she would call me when they’re done, she texted me like an hour ago,” said Charlie.

 

“Dada!” said Leonard,

 

“You miss your dad kiddo?” asked Charlie ruffling his hair,

 

“Dada” he answered again,

 

“ I really can’t wait for you guys to start talking, I love you and all that shit but having a conversation with you is hard,” said Charlie laughing.

 

Cas ended up helping his team but finally, a little after 5 pm they finished the flyers and the final presentation. The whole design department stayed and waited until everything was ready because Cas wanted to talk to them.

 

“Some of these kids don’t even know me, I haven’t been around a lot lately… I hope I don’t make a bad first impression,” said Cas still carrying a sleeping Al in his arms.

 

“Just be yourself,” said Dean with a smile. They opened the door of the huge design department and when they were walking in, Cas realized that he was still carrying Al,

 

“Crap,” he whispered,

 

“Want some help with that?” asked Charlie smiling,

 

“Forget it, it’s useless,” said Dean,

 

“Why?” asked Meg,

 

“He wont let go of Cas and if he does he screams and kicks,” Charlie tried to grab the baby but she soon realized that Dean’s words were real; the kid was really comfortable in Cas’s arms.

 

“Okay Cas, you’re gonna give a great firs impression, babies are the best accessory for this season,” said Charlie smiling. Cas rolled his eyes and walked towards the front of the room,

 

“Good afternoon everybody, thanks for waiting… for those of you who don’t know me, my name is Castiel Wi… Novak, I am part owner of this business and I’m the head of this department,” said Cas, “after today’s incidents, which were the fault of a lot of people, me included, we’re going to have to readjust a few things in this department. I’m a very busy man and I can’t always be here, most of the time you have to answer to Meg and Tamika… but that doesn’t mean that I don’t care about this business… Meg and Tamika always tell me what happens around here and I personally choose every single one of you for this internship… we’re not going to talk about the flyer situation today because we all need to calm down and wait for tomorrow’s presentation. I just want you to know that on Monday we’re having a proper meeting and we’re going to talk about all of this… I’ll try to be more present and I want you to try and be more involved too because you were selected to be here for a reason,” he said out loud.

 

“So, everybody 9 am, the big conference room, I don’t want anyone to be late and I don’t want anyone eating in the room. Coffee and tea are allowed. I don’t want anyone wearing bright colors either and for the love of God if you see that door closed, don’t you dare knocking, I don’t tolerate tardiness when there’s an established hour for something… now, any question before I leave?” said Cas.

 

He saw a few hands being raised,

 

“Yes, you the girl in the back,” he said pointing at a blonde girl with purple glasses,

 

“Are you **the** Castiel Novak?” asked the girl. All the new interns were staring at him,

 

“Well, I am a Castiel Novak, I don’t know if there’s another,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, no I mean… the illustrator of the 'devil’s trap series',” said the girl.

 

“Oh, yes… I am,”

 

“Wow,” she said.

 

“Any other question?” asked Cas.

 

“Related this Monday’s meeting, not to Mr. Novak’s personal life,” added Meg.

 

“Do we have to dress formal?” asked a guy,

 

“No, just no bright colors please... now, if you excuse me, I was a little busy when I had to be called to come and fix this situation, so I’m going to retire to my home, good afternoon,” he said and then he walked out of the room with Dean walking behind him.

 

“You were great,” said Charlie following them.

 

“Having a sleeping baby on your chest is great to control your need to shout to a bunch of kids,” said Cas. Dean laughed and gave him a quick peck.

 

“Well, Meg, Tamika… good luck with the meeting tomorrow, I’ll see you on Monday,” said Cas.

 

“Thanks to you man, you saved our asses with that file,” said Tamika.

* * *

After picking up their stuff from Cas’s office they took the elevator to the reception. The kids had finally woken up,

 

“Mike and Jill are going to kill us… I’m pretty sure we messed their nap routine,” said Dean.

 

“Well she hasn’t called yet, we still have time for them to spend all their energy… we could practice walking in the TV room; the carpet is really soft there,” said Cas.

 

“Sounds great, wanna stop for a pizza on our way home?” Asked Dean.

 

“Sure, Charlie… would you like to join us?” asked Cas.

 

“Yeah, pizza and clumsy babies trying to walk, I’m in,” said Charlie smiling.

 

“I’ll go get the Car, you stay here with the kids,” said Dean; he handed Leonard to Charlie and then left the building.

* * *

“C’mon Al… just like Len… look, I’m holding his hand he’s not gonna fall,” said Dean looking at Alan. Leonard was happily walking next to Dean, he was getting better and faster.

 

Alan stood there, next to Cas, staring at his brother walking.

 

“Al, I’m going to hold both your hands and we’re gonna walk together, okay?” asked Cas. He stood behind Alan and then grabbed his hands, “c’mon… lets walk,” said Cas smiling.

 

“No,” said Alan.

 

“Okay, it was worth the try… there’s no rush, I promise,” said Cas. He let go of his nephew and sat down on the floor next to him.

 

“Len, go with auntie Charlie, go…” said Dean. Charlie left her slice of pizza on the coffee table and opened her arms waiting for Leonard to walk towards her. He walked and giggled every time he managed to give a couple of steps without falling; when he finally reached Charlie she hugged him and kissed his cheek.

 

Cas stretched his arm and grabbed a slice of pizza from the table. Al was still just standing next to him so Cas turned to his left and offered the little kid the pizza.

 

“Are they allowed to eat pizza?” asked Cas,

 

“I don’t know… I mean they eat cheese and bread sometimes, I don’t see why not,” said Charlie.

 

“Do you want to try it?” Asked Cas. Alan sniffed at the food in front of him; he had seen his family eat pizza a lot of times. He decided to give it a chance and with his little 4 teeth in the front of his mouth he took a small bite. After a couple of seconds he started to clap and smile,

 

“He likes it!” Said Cas smiling and turning towards Charlie and Dean.

 

“Well, he’s related to you dude,” said Charlie laughing. They heard voices approaching the room and then Gabe and Tegan walked in,

 

“Hi everybody!” she said with a high tone; Cas placed his slice of pizza back on his plate over the little coffee table to stand up and say hello to his brother and niece.

 

“Hello Tegan,” she was running around Cas,

 

“Gabriel, didn’t we talk about mixing kids and sugar?” asked Dean,

 

“You’re one to talk, that little fella is making out with a slice of pizza,” said Gabe laughing and pointing at Al. Cas turned around and saw Alan holding to the coffee table with one hand and grabbing his slice of pizza with the other.

 

“Jesus! I turned around for just one minute… Alan you’re smearing the pizza all over your face,” said Cas taking the slice of pizza from his nephew and placing it back on the table, “you really liked the pizza didn’t you?” asked Cas while lifting his nephew from the floor.

 

“Wait a minute!” said Charlie, “how did he get the pizza?”

 

“He must have walked towards the table while I was saying hi to… Oh my God! Alan did you just walk?” Asked Cas with excitement,

 

“Never underestimate the power of pizza,” said Gabe.

 

“Did any of you see him?” asked Dean.

 

“No,” said Charlie; Cas and Gabe shook their heads.

 

“Me!” said Tegan,

 

“You sure?” asked Gabe,

 

“Yes, he was standing next to the sofa and then he looked at the table and then he walked a little and then he grabbed the pizza,” said Tegan.

 

“Okay, I’m going to clean his face and then we can give it another try then,” said Cas smiling; he walked out of the room with his nephew in his arms.

* * *

After Cas returned with a clean baby to the TV room they tried to make Al walk again.

 

“Dude just show him the slice of pizza and walk backwards, he will follow you,” said Gabe.

 

“He’s not a dog Gabriel!” Complained Castiel.

 

“I’m just saying,” said Gabe rolling his eyes.

 

“Tegan, honey…. Are you sure you saw him walking?” asked Charlie; she was currently sitting on a couch with Leonard on her lap.

 

“Yes… I saw him; he was walking very fast!” she said. Cas sighed and grabbed a slice of pizza from the box; he felt terrible for his ‘experiment’,

 

“Alan, do you want more pizza?” asked Cas. He gave 3 steps away from his nephew and then sat down facing him; Alan stared at him with his big blue eyes. “Well, if you don’t want it then, I’m going to eat it,” said Cas before taking a big bite,

 

“No!” said Alan in a tone that sounded more like surprise than anger. He grabbed one side of the table with his left hand and began walking towards Cas, always using the table as support. He walked fast and when he reached his uncle he stretched his hand to reclaim his food. Cas laughed and ruffled his hair; he grabbed the kid with his free hand and sat him on his lap then he proceeded to share his slice of pizza with him.

 

“Just a few bites okay? Your mom is going to kill me if we only give you pizza for dinner,” said Cas.

 

“Dude, he just walked I don’t think Jill would mind,” said Gabe.

 

“Okay, now we need to make him walk without pizza being involved,” said Charlie.

 

* * *

 

By the time Chuck, Jill and Michael arrived at the Winchester’s house, the kids were already sound asleep. It was past 9 and Cas, Dean, Gabe and Charlie were sitting in the living room sharing a bottle of whine.

 

They joined the group and Cas went to the kitchen to grab more glasses and another bottle.

 

“So, Michael… how did the interview go?” asked Charlie,

 

“It was great, I have to go back in two weeks for the next round, there are 4 other guys aiming for the same job that I am,” he said.

 

“Well, you already beat 5 other guys, you have a big chance,” said Gabe,

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty confident about it, Mr. Earl said I was one of his favorites,” said Michael.

 

“Cool,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah,” said Mike. No one seemed to know what to say next. It was obvious that they were waiting for Michael to say something about Alan. After almost five minutes of awkward silence Jill finally talked,

 

“I told Mike about Alan,” she said.

 

“And what do you think?” asked Charlie. Mike finished the contents of his glass before speaking,

 

“I… I don’t know what to think; honestly it sounds like there’s a very long and unknown path ahead of us… I never planned… I um… I still need to get used to the idea… I guess this is just ironic, you know? I’ve been an asshole to Cas his whole life and now I have a kid with… um, yeah… so, I don’t know… I don’t know what to think or how to react or how to act with him when I see him tomorrow,” said Michael.

 

“Well, it’s pretty simple… act normal… and stop feeling pity for yourself… stop making this all about you; this isn’t about you, you’re not the one who’s going to have to be different his whole life, you’re not the one who has to live with it all the time. Just be supportive and loving and that’s all,” said Cas trying not to raise his voice.

 

“Just act the exact opposite way of how you reacted when they diagnosed Cas… problem solved,” said Gabe. Mike nodded and poured another glass of wine for himself.

 

“We have an appointment with Dr. Norton tomorrow, I think it would be great if Mike could talk to her,” said Jill.

 

“Sure, because if I talk to the shrink my son will probably stop being a, a…. like that,” said Mike.

 

“Michael, please don’t start with this again,” said Chuck pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

“Sorry, sorry… I’m trying, okay? I just came back from a trip and it turns out my wife wasn’t pregnant after all and one of my kids has something that’s going to change our lives forever,” he said.

 

“Well, if you wanted to be a selfish prick your whole life then you shouldn’t have had kids in the first place,” said Gabe.

 

“Why is everybody fighting?” came Tegan’s voice from the entrance of the living room. She was standing there rubbing her eyes.

 

“Sorry pumpkin, did we wake you up?” asked Jill standing up and walking towards her daughter.

 

“No,” said Teg with a yawn, “I was thirsty,”

 

“I’ll get you some water,” said Cas standing up and walking towards the kitchen.

 

“Daddy, you’re back!” said Tegan when she noticed Mike,

 

“Yes, did you miss me?” he asked,

 

“Yeah,” said Tegan. Cas came back into the room with a glass of water; he handed it to Tegan and she finished it pretty fast.

 

“Thanks uncle Cas,” said Teg.

 

“You’re welcome Tegan… now, should we take you back to bed?” asked Cas.

 

“Yes please,” she said while nodding.

 

“I’ll do it,” said Jill.

 

“I’ll give you a hand,” said Cas and followed the girls to the stairs. The rest of the family stared at them while they walked upstairs.

 

“Congratulations Mike, you managed to make him feel like crap in his own house,” said Gabe; Michael rolled his eyes and Dean cleared his throat.

 

“Mike, do you remember we talked before you left?” asked Dean. Michael nodded,

 

“Really? Because I don’t get you man, you said you wanted to change and be a better person, a better father and to be there for your kids no matter what… and you’re being a dick dude, you just came back from being away for a whole week, a week without your family and you’re upset because your son has autism… I know it is hard to find out something like that, I know it’s life changing and that you’re going to have to learn with him and it’s a long process but… he’s your son, man, he didn’t ask to come to this fucking world, don’t you dare being an ass with him because he’s different,” said Dean trying really hard not to stand up and slap his brother in law.

 

“I… Jill is right, I really need to see this doctor; I’m scared okay? I don’t know what to do,” admitted Mike. As if on cue, Cas walked into the living room with Al in his arms and Jill walking behind him,

 

“Hey, little man, what are you doing up this late?” asked Gabe,

 

“He was awake when we went into the room … I thought a bottle of warm milk would help,” said Cas. Jill pressed a soft kiss on the boy’s head and then took her seat next to her husband. When Alan saw his mom sitting he started kicking and pointing at her in Cas’s arms; Cas laughed and placed him on the floor,

 

“Someone really loves his mom,” said Cas; he held the little boy’s hand and helped him walk towards his mother,

 

“Oh my God! He’s walking!” said Jill while kneeling on the floor to wait for her son. Alan was walking fast and he had a huge smile on his face; he hugged her mom as soon as he reached her, “I love you so much Al, I can’t believe this,” she said. Cas smiled and walked towards the kitchen to get Al’s bottle.

 

“When did this happen?” asked Chuck smiling too.

 

“Few hours ago, actually,” said Dean.

 

“Cas left a slice of pizza over the coffee table in the TV room, he got distracted for a few seconds to say hi to Teg and next thing we know, the little dude walks towards the table and buries his face in the slice of pizza… so today is a great day, he started walking and he ate pizza for the first time,” said Charlie.

 

“Of course you would,” said Jill laughing, “I swear to God, you’re 100% Novak,” she placed a kiss on his cheek.

 

“Hey, kid already learned that food is the best thing in the world and he’s only a year old… plus he’s handsome as fuck,” said Gabe.

 

“Yes he is,” said Jill. She lifted him and placed him on her lap,

 

“I can’t believe we missed it,” said Mike finally.

 

“We kinda missed it too the first time,” said Gabe, “Tegan was the only one who saw him,”

 

Jill handed him to Michael who stared at him with surprise and fear in his eyes. Jill grabbed her phone and registered in her notes that her son, Alan Andrew Novak had walked and tried pizza for the first time at the age of 1 year and 26 days.

 

Cas returned with Al’s bottle and handed it to Michael,

 

“Can you do it or are you too traumatized and scared to handle it? I know feeding him can be hard for your fragile heart and it can ruin your dreams of a perfect life, because he’s so different,” said Cas.

 

“Wow, Cas,” said Gabe. Cas took a sit next to Dean and downed his glass of wine before pouring himself another one. Dean held his hand but didn’t say anything. Michael sighed and then started feeding his son without saying a word.

 

“We should probably go, we have to be at doctor Norton’s office by 9:30 in the morning,” said Jill.

 

“I’ll help you get all your stuff and Dean and Gabe can help us carry the kids to the Car”. Said Charlie.

 

Charlie, Jill, Dean and Gabe went upstairs to get everything ready. Dean carried Tegan and Gabe took care of Leonard.

 

After almost 15 minutes they had everything ready to go. Jill had only had half a glass of wine so she took the wheel. Chuck sat next to her and Mike sat on the backseat holding a now sleeping Al in his arms. Charlie and Gabe said goodbye too and after a lot of hugs and ‘goodbyes’ they agreed to have dinner next day at Chuck’s.

* * *

 

“Cas, where are you?” asked Dean. He had been cleaning the kitchen after their visit left and he couldn’t find Cas who was supposed to be cleaning the living room. “Cas!” His phone buzzed in his pocket,

 

**Studio**

He laughed and after turning off the lights he ran upstairs. Cas was sitting in front of his piano playing a slow tune absentmindedly. He seemed to be thinking of something else,

 

“Babe, you okay?” asked Dean walking into Cas’s studio.

 

“A little drunk I think,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, I noticed you got carried away with the wine tonight,” said Dean sitting next to him. Dean grabbed the bottle resting over the piano and took a swig directly from it. Apparently Cas had been doing the same.

 

“I’ve decided Michael is and asshole,” said Cas.

 

“You decided that?” asked Dean chuckling, “honey, don’t get me wrong but life decided Mike was an asshole the minute he was born.” They burst into laughter after that.

 

“You called me honey,” said Cas with a serious expression.

 

“I did? Didn’t notice… Jesus, what’s in this freaking wine?” said Dean taking another swig from the bottle. Cas grabbed it after him and mirrored his husband’s action.

 

“Don’t call me that again,” said Cas.

 

“What? Honey?” asked Dean confused,

 

“Lisa used to call you like that,” said Cas. He rarely brought up Lisa to a conversation but Dean knew that Cas didn’t like her at all, though sometimes he felt like there was something else and not just the ‘she dated you so I don’t like her a lot’ fact.

 

“Cas, babe, I’m sorry ok? Didn’t mean to upset you,” said Dean. Cas stood up and grabbed the bottle of wine. Dean followed him to the second story of the room. They sat on the comfortable bed next to the huge window; Cas opened it because it was a really hot night. They sat there for a while, just staring at the sky and drinking. Dean wasn’t sure if Cas was upset because of his brother or because of Lisa… or if he was just drunk and rambling.

 

“Once I had a dream,” said Cas after taking a swig from the bottle, “a little after my incident with the car, I had this dream in which we were a couple… it was so real and I called you ‘honey’, you know? Because I love bees and I love honey and I was secretly in love with you… and you’re so sweet to me,” Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise, “and one day I heard her call you ‘honey,’ I know right now it sounds stupid but in that moment I felt like she stole you from me, in more ways that you can imagine,” said Cas.

 

“Cas, I was always yours babe,” said Dean.

 

“I didn’t know in that moment, but I’m glad that’s in the past,” he hiccupped and then started giggling.

 

“You’re drunk,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“Yeah, and you’re beautiful… and mine,” said Cas, “and my brother is an asshole,”

 

“Yeah, I’m yours… and your brother is an asshole,” said Dean after taking a couple of swigs from the bottle. He was in the mood for getting drunk too.

 

“And I forgot to feed Nik,” said Cas in sudden realization.

 

“I did it, don’t worry,” said Dean laughing.

 

“You’re perfect,” said Cas.

 

“Dude, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you this drunk,” said Dean.

 

“It’s also been a while since we had sex in this room,” said Cas.

 

“We’ve never had sex in this room,” declared Dean.

 

“Right, we should,” answered Cas.

 

“Dude, if we do it here, tomorrow when you’re sober you’re gonna be so freaking mad, this place is your freaking sanctuary… it’s gonna reek of sex and drunkenness,” said Dean, he wasn’t as drunk as his husband and he knew Cas very well.

 

“We’ll keep the window open,” said Cas.

 

“Wait,” said Dean. He grabbed his phone and opened the audio recording app. He gulped the rest of the bottle of wine and then looked at his husband,

 

“I’m going to record you so you don’t feel like kicking my ass in the morning,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, that’s not exactly what I want to do to your ass right now Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Shh… shh… say it,” said Dean laughing.

 

“We can have sex in my studio, I agree and I won’t get upset in the morning… also we need to buy more black tea, I just remembered,” said Cas giggling.

 

Dean placed his phone aside and stared at his husband right in the eye. He took Cas’s glasses off and placed them next to the phone.

 

“All right! Lets do this!” said Dean out loud.

 

“I’m going to fu… reaking take you to the park Dean Winchester!” said Cas laughing. He softly pushed Dean to the mattress and began kissing him.

 

“Cas, you can fu… reaking take me to wherever you want babe,” answered Dean between kisses.

* * *

 

July 31st

 

The annoying buzz of a phone kept bothering Dean until he had to open his eyes and take the call,

 

“Yeah?” he answered,

 

“Great, you’re still alive,” said Bobby, “You coming for breakfast or what? Charlie and Jody are already here,”

 

“Yeah, yeah… we’re just getting ready, be there in 15,” lied Dean.

 

“Son, I might’ve been born at night but I wasn’t born last night… you sound like you just woke up,” asked Bobby.

 

“Okay, sorry, give us 30 minutes… maybe an hour… I think I’m still drunk… crap, I’m not sure I can remember everything we did last night,” he admitted,

 

“Well, I can tell you two things, first, you two are loud, and second, for the love of god learn to close a fucking window… now just get up and hurry up,” said Bobby before hanging up.

 

“Great,” said Dean. He looked at his surroundings, the window was open and they had forgotten to draw the curtains so they had a perfect view of one side of Bobby’s house. He found a pair of boxer briefs next to a pillow and he grabbed them and put them on. He stood up, closed the window and drew the curtains then he sat back on the bed, “Cas… wake up,”

 

Cas turned around and hugged a pillow,

 

“Cas, we’re late for breakfast at Bobby’s,” said Dean. Cas opened his eyes and sat up,

 

“Crap, sorry,” said Cas, his voice deeper than usual, “oh, God… did something die in my mouth?” he asked; Dean laughed.

 

“C’mon, we need a shower… or ten, I feel sticky,” said Dean standing up.

 

“Wait, where… oh fuck! Did we have sex in my studio?” asked Cas,

 

“Hey, you weren’t complaining last night… you really don’t remember anything?” asked Dean.

 

“Oh, believe me, I remember everything I did… everything… I just can’t remember my surroundings pretty well,” said Cas, “I really need a shower and a lot of black tea,” said Cas. They got out of bed and after picking up their stuff, they went to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and for the kudos and comments and everything, I love you all.  
> I think I might update during the weekend. 
> 
> :)


	10. Umm... you’re not Charlie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean, Cas and Nik go to New York for a weekend; Michael goes to LA for another job interview and the family meets Dorothy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back. This chapter has a lot of happiness and family moments and all that because the next one is going to have a lot of angst so... enjoy.

 

* * *

August 2nd

 

Cas was so tired he wasn’t even able to climb the stairs to his room. He deemed the biggest couch in the living room good enough and next thing he knew he was woken up 3 hours later by the sound of Dean opening the main door.

 

“Cas, you okay?” Asked Dean,

 

“Tired,” said Cas without opening his eyes,

 

“How was the meeting?” Dean sat on the floor and started stroking his husband’s hair. Nik walked into the living room and sat next to Dean, enjoying the moment.

 

“Fine I guess; we created new rules for the design department and Meg almost made a few interns cry,” said Cas,

 

“I know you hate long meetings and talking to crowds but at least it’s over now, I brought dinner,”

 

“I love you,” said Cas.

 

“I love you too babe, now c’mon lets have dinner,” Cas opened his eyes and sat up slowly.

 

“I could sleep for a whole week, I swear,” he said yawning,

 

“I know we had a weird week… and a weirder weekend; even I feel like I need to rest, I can only imagine how you feel,” said Dean.

 

“I think we need a vacation,” said Cas.

 

“That sounds great; let’s talk about it… but first, tacos,” said Dean while helping Cas to get up. Nik followed them happily to the kitchen.

* * *

 

After dinner they shared a shower and then went to bed.

 

“I can’t believe it’s only Monday… I feel like it’s been a week since Sunday,” said Cas with his head resting on Dean’s chest.

 

“This weekend… you pick a place and we’re taking a well deserved mini vacation, just the two of us… and Nik,” said Dean while holding his husband in his arms. Cas raised his head to get a better look at Dean.

 

“Are you sure?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, any place,” said Dean smiling; he knew it had been a difficult weekend for Cas, he had spent basically the whole weekend arguing with Michael.

 

“New York,” said Cas. Dean raised his eyebrows, “we don’t have to if you don’t want to,” added Cas pretty fast after that,

 

“No, no… I do, c’mon; it’s not like I didn’t know that you would pick New York,” he grabbed his iPad from the table next to him, “let’s get the tickets, we can leave on Friday afternoon and come back… Monday morning… I mean, we would only spend a couple of days there but... it’s your favorite place on earth,” Cas nodded and grabbed the iPad; he sat up and started looking for plane tickets,

 

“New York is exactly what I need right now,” said Cas, “though my favorite place on earth is wherever you are, Dean,” he added. Dean chuckled.

 

Cas kept working on getting the tickets, so they remained silent for a couple of minutes.

 

“Babe,” said Dean sitting up next to his husband,

 

“Hmm,” Cas was very focused on the iPad,

 

“Are we gonna talk about what happened this weekend?” said Dean.

 

“Yes, of course… I got drunk on Friday and we had sex in my studio,” said Cas with his deep voice.

 

“Yeah… I was talking about the situation with your brother,” said Dean; he could feel how Cas immediately got tense.

 

“Oh, well… you were there too Dean, I don’t see why we need to talk about it,” said Cas.

 

“Because he said horrible things to you and you got up and said you needed fresh air and next thing I know you were halfway to our home,”

 

“I… decided to walk and when I reacted I was closer to our place than to dad’s… at least I called you,” said Cas.

 

“Cas, I don’t, I’m not nagging you, I just… I worry; Is it always gonna be like this with Mike? I now we don’t see them often but still, I hate to see how easy he can make you feel like crap,” confessed Dean. Cas remained silent and focused on buying their tickets,

 

“I found a flight that leaves at 4 pm this Friday to New York,” answered Cas. Dean sighed and just nodded…

 

“Yeah Cas, those are fine,” he answered. Another 5 minutes passed in silence. Cas finally turned off the iPad and handed it to Dean who put it back on the table.

 

“Cas…” whispered Dean,

 

“You hate to see how easily he can affect my mood with his words, I heard you Dean… and I hate to see how easily he can change his behavior, it’s like we have to be ready to expect anything because we don’t know how’s he going to act… sometimes he’s nice and he says that he wants to change and become a better person and then, sometimes he just snaps at me for dropping a glass of water and he yells at me because, and I quote ‘oh my God, how can you be so smart and so retarded at the same time? What the fuck is wrong with you?’ … And everybody was worried because I left… why can’t they worry because my brother has evident anger issues?” said Cas.

 

“Hey, relax,” said Dean rubbing soothing circles on Cas’s back, “I think you’re right… I’ve been thinking this for a while, I mean... I’m not a shrink but I think you’re right, he has some major anger issues, like hulk anger issues. He has a lot of issues to be honest,”

 

“I’m concerned… not for me but for the kids and Jill,”

 

“Jill is not an idiot, she knows how to deal with him and they love each other… he’s just words, hurtful words but he would never lay a finger on them,”

 

“Words can hurt too Dean, you and I know it pretty well, my mother and your father were ‘just words,’ and we grew up with a few issues,” said Cas,

 

“He really is his mother’s son,” said Dean,

 

“And that’s what worries me, she hit me… it was just once but she did, and that event changed my whole life,” said Cas,

 

“Dude, I almost punched him at Chuck’s after what he said to you, he was lucky the kids were around… but if he ever hurts them I’m going to fucking kill him,” said Dean.

 

“That’s the problem Dean, they’re young and maybe they don’t notice it yet but…”

 

“We should do something,” said Dean.

 

“Like what?” asked Cas.

 

“I don’t know, talk to Jill… maybe we could ask Doctor Norton for advice,”

 

Cas took a deep breath and then slumped against his pillow. He closed his eyes and then talked,

 

“Yes, I’ll call her tomorrow,”

 

“Okay babe,” said Dean smiling.

 

“I’ll get the hotel room tomorrow too,” said Cas yawning.

 

“For New York?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes,” said Cas.

 

“Great,” said Dean.

 

“C’mon you’re falling asleep while we talk,” Said Dean. He turned off his lamp and then turned around to envelope his husband in a cuddle.

 

“Good night Dean, I love you,” whispered Cas.

 

“Good night angel, I love you,” said Dean with a chuckle.

 

“Hmm… angel, I like that,” said Cas before finally falling asleep.

* * *

 

August 3rd

 

“Heya Sammy!” said Dean while talking on speaker on his phone. He was on his way home to meet with Cas and Charlie.

 

“Hi Dean, I hope I’m not interrupting you,” said Sam on the phone.

 

“No, man… I’m not home yet, I just left the garage,”

 

“Dude, it’s almost 8 in Sioux Falls, did you have a lot of work?” asked Sam. He knew Dean usually arrived home at 7 on weekdays.

 

“No, well… kinda; Cas and I are going to New York this weekend so I’m trying to work some extra time ‘cuz we’ll leave on Friday,” said Dean.

 

“What’s in New York?” asked Sam.

 

“Nothing, he was stressed after this week and we just thought a nice weekend away would be nice, it was his time to pick the city so… yeah, New York,” said Dean.

 

“That’s why I’m calling, Jess just got an e-mail from Jill… dude, sometimes it really sucks to be away from you, this last week really sounds crazy,” said Sam.

 

“So you know about Alan?” Asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, Jill told us everything… man, how cool it is that they managed to diagnose him as such a young age?” That was exactly the reaction Dean would expect from Sam, always looking at the bright side.

 

“I know, right? I just wish his asshole of a father could be more supportive,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, Jill wrote about that too… we were a little worried about Cas, how is he taking it? I know being Mike’s brother has never been easy for him but for what we read the dude is being even a bigger asshole than his usual self,”

 

“Not gonna lie man, he’s worried… he walked from Chuck’s to our house on Saturday after Michael called him the ‘R’ word... and I’m worried too, he’s in a good place, and I don’t want him to be sad,” confessed Dean,

 

“Take care of him Dean, I never want to see him in a dark place again, man… he’s like a brother to me,” said Sam.

 

“Dude, he’s my fucking everything… of course I’ll take care of him,” said Dean. Sam Laughed.

 

“Christ… I really wish we could be there right now,” Dean heard Jess saying.

 

“Hi Jess, you know you can come and visit us any time you want,” said Dean.

 

“I wish we could… but we spent all our savings in the new house, you’ll have to wait until December to see us,” said Jess.

 

“Hey, money is not a problem… I have a sugar daddy remember? You just give me a call and next time he wants sex I’ll ask him for a million dollars or whatever,” joked Dean.

 

“Yeah Dean, keep acting like you don’t own a successful business,” said Sam laughing.

 

“Yeah, we’re doing pretty well… Actually today I had a talk with Bobby, we are thinking of opening 2 new garages,” said Dean.

 

“Really?” asked Sam.

 

“Yeah, he wants to open one in Pierre, it would be close and we could go once a week and make sure that everything’s fine,”

 

“And the other garage?” asked Jess,

 

“I want to open a garage dedicated exclusively to restoration,” answered Dean,

 

“In Sioux Falls?” asked Sam.

 

“Of course not… that would be a waste of time and money… this city is too small for that kind of shit,”

 

“You should open it here in California,” said Sam.

 

“Yeah… because there’s not a shitload of businesses like that all over the west coast,” said Dean chuckling, “you just want an excuse to get to see me more often,”

 

“You can’t blame me for trying,” admitted Sam.

 

“Well… I don’t think I’ll be opening the garage of my dreams soon… Cas is about to go on tour and I want to focus on that for now, we need to sit and plan our schedule so I can visit him at least twice a month… preferably to places close to Sioux Falls, so I can drive,” said Dean.

 

“Oh man, you have to visit him when he comes to San Francisco,” said Sam. Jess and Sam had been married for 6 months now and they had recently moved to San Francisco because of Sam’s job.

 

“That would be cool, we could hold hands in public without weird ladies calling us sinners,” said Dean laughing.

 

“Oh c’mon, Sioux Falls isn’t that bad, is it?” asked Sam.

 

“Nah, people judge us but they act like we don’t exist... they’re not rude, they say good morning and all that friendly neighbor shit, but I think they like to pretend that Cas and I are just friend that share a house,” explained Dean.

 

“You should move here,” said Sam.

 

“No way man, Cas hates the weather… I would never hear the end of it,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Sam laughing. Dean put the car in the garage and then walked into the house.

 

“Guys! I’m home!” yelled Dean,

 

“Pool,” yelled Charlie. He rolled his eyes and walked outside,

 

“Hi! Said Charlie… who are you talking to?” she was in the pool talking with Cas and she noticed that Dean had his phone in his hand,

 

“Hi Charlie!” yelled Jess,

 

“Oh My God! Jess… I miss you so much, how’s the new house doing?” asked Charlie.

 

“We just finished painting the last room,” answered Sam,

 

“Hi Sam, I really miss you guys,” said Charlie.

 

“We miss you too,” said Sam with a Chuckle.

 

“Hello Sam, Jess… I just talked to our agent… the tour Starts officially on the third week of October,” said Cas.

 

“Man, you won’t be home for Halloween,” said Dean,

 

“No, but I’ll be in LA for Halloween and day of the death,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Dude, the decorations for Day of the death over there are something else,” said Sam.

 

“I know, you should join us, I’m pretty sure Dean will be there because he loves Halloween and we always spend it together, and I know it isn’t that close to San Francisco but, if you want to join us I can take care of all the expenses, what do you say?”

 

“Wow… I um… yes man, that would be awesome,” said Sam with joy.

 

“Thanks a lot, we miss you so much, specially Dean and it means the world for us when we get to see our family,” said Cas.

 

“Aw, you’re so sweet Cas,” said Jess.

 

“See? Told you, having a sugar daddy has its perks,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, I’m your sugar daddy now?” asked Cas smirking, “well in that case you better start dinner if you want me to give you money,”

 

“Ha! You’re screwed!” said Sam.

 

“Shut up Sammy! He’s joking, we already have pizza here,” said Dean trying to rescue his dignity.

 

“Yeah, whatever… gotta go guys, Eddie is in town and we’re going out for dinner with him and his boyfriend,” said Sam.

 

“Oh, say hi to him please!” said Cas,

 

“Will, do… see you soon guys,” answered Jess before hanging up.

 

“So… book tour,” said Dean.

 

“There’s pizza on the table and beers in the fridge,” said Cas knowing that it wasn’t a conversation to have with an empty stomach.

 

“Fine, let me go change clothes… the pool actually looks like a great idea, I’ll be right back,” said Dean.

* * *

When Dean walked downstairs after putting on his trunks he decided to make a first stop at the kitchen to grab a beer. Just as he was walking into the kitchen he noticed that the door of the fridge was open and he heard a woman humming a catchy tune while obviously standing behind the door.

 

“Hey Red, mind grabbing a beer for me while you’re there?” asked Dean leaning on the counter.

 

“Sure,” she answered. She grabbed a couple of things from the fridge and then closed it with a push of her hips,

 

“Umm... you’re not Charlie,” Said Dean trying not to look too freaked out,

 

“Oh… sorry… I’m Dorothy, Charlie’s girlfriend,” said Dorothy.

 

“I had no idea you were here, sorry if I looked like douche,” he apologized.

 

“Man, it’s totally fine… I should be the one apologizing, I’m a stranger grabbing sutff from your fridge,” she handed Dean his beer.

 

“Were you outside when I arrived? I didn’t see you…” asked Dean worried,

 

“No, I arrived like 15 minutes ago, I was in the bathroom getting changed,”

 

“Oh cool, for a minute there I thought I was an asshole to you and didn’t say hi,” said Dean. They walked to the backyard to find Charlie and Cas sitting at the table eating pizza and laughing.

 

Dorothy handed a beer to Charlie,

 

“Thanks Dor,” said Charlie smiling. Dorothy took a sit next to Charlie and Dean sat next to his husband.

 

“So, Charlie… when did you two make it official?” asked Dean,

 

“Today at lunch,” said Charlie blushing a little.

 

“You make a beautiful couple,” said Cas,

 

“And all thanks to you Cas, really…” said Dorothy,

 

“It was nothing... it was obvious that both of you were interested, I just helped a little,” he said.

 

“So, Cupid… I already had 2 sliced of pizza and a half a beer, wanna share with the class?” said Dean changing the subject.

 

“Which class?” asked Cas,

 

“Tell us about the tour,” said Dean,

 

“Oh, right…well… Vicky, Dad and I had a videoconference… we’re starting the tour on the third week of October as you heard I told your brother; we’re starting with California, so far we’ve confirmed San Francisco, San Diego and like a week in LA because we’re visiting bookstores in Santa Monica, Pasadena, Hollywood and I don’t know what else, I honestly muted her after she mentioned Hollywood,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” Charlie grabbed her iPad and Dean his phone, they were checking dates and Dorothy just observed them, it obviously was something common for them to check Cas’s tours like this. She had read all of Chuck’s books and of course the graphic novels, but she wasn’t a fangirl; she knew the name of the authors be she didn’t knew how they looked like or their age or anything about them except of course that they were father and son and that their books were great.

It was kinda weird that she was now hanging out with Castiel Novak (she learned earlier that week that he had actually changed his last name to Winchester when he got married to Dean but he kept using Novak when it came to the books). She grabbed another slice of pizza and kept looking at them in silence,

 

“I’m just going to mention the places because we don’t have the exact dates yet, we’ll have them next week probably… so after California we have Arizona, then Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania… then we go to Florida because I wanted to leave New York for last,” said Cas, “we still have a few cities to add to the list… it seems like it’s going to be a big tour,”

 

“Well, as soon as you have all the dates confirmed I’ll talk to Bobby,” said Dean.

 

“You don’t have to go with me to all the tour Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah but I’m not gonna stay here without seeing you for months either… we’ll work something out,” said Dean.

 

“Wow, I’ve never thought about a tour from that perspective... you know, the family that has to stay home,” said Dorothy.

 

“On the last tour we saw each other every two weeks, and Charlie visited me a couple of times and my brother Gabriel too… and of course I’m always with dad… so we manage,” said Cas.

 

“But enough about our weird life, this is the first time Charlie brings you here and she’s like our little sister so you know...” said Dean.

 

“This is the part where I tell you everything about me and then you give me your blessing?” she asked. Dean liked that she wasn’t shy; she really seemed like a good match for Charlie.  

 

“Not really, have you met Bobby yet? He’s the one you should worry about, he’s got guns,” said Dean,

 

“Umm…Nope, I ‘ve only met you guys and Jill,” said Dorothy, “though I only talked to her for a few minutes,” she added,

 

“Okay… so tell us something about you, I heard you own the best freaking donut shop in the whole state,” said Dean.

 

“Well yeah, that’s what everybody’s saying… I umm, I love cooking; specially baking… and, that’s what I studied actually,” said Dorothy.

 

“Wow, really? Cas’s brother too! Im’ pretty sure Charlie already told you but he owns a bakery and his cakes and pies are awesome,”

 

“Yes, she told me… and you’re right, I tried the pecan pie the other day, it really was something else,” she said,

 

“And where did you study?” asked Cas,

 

“Crap, I’m really going to sound like a pretentious spoiled brat but… I went to France to study a ‘bachelor of professional studies in culinary arts’… I know, long name to say that I studied to become a chef,” she said,

 

“Oh, she’s being modest… tell them the whole thing; Dorothy’s life is like a freaking movie, she’s been everywhere,” said Charlie with a smile.

 

“Really?” Asked Dean,

 

“I mean, not everywhere but my grandma used to call me her little ‘wanderlust’, I kinda like to travel a lot… well, after I finished school my dad asked me if I wanted to stay a little more, study something else… and I actually wanted to learn more but I was tired of school so I decided to travel around Europe… I was already there; I first lived in Spain for a couple of months but Spanish was really hard to learn and a friend told me he could get me a job at a small restaurant in Italy so I moved… I stayed there for almost 6 months before I met this girl and moved with her to Paris but she cheated on me so I just sorta ended up living in Switzerland after that; I worked at a bakery there, an old lady owned the place, her husband was a local and she was from Germany; she was so nice and sweet and she taught me everything she knew… man, the amount of chocolate I ate that year! After that, Jean Pierre, her husband, died and she decided to sell the bakery and move back to Germany… and I went with her, I lived there for 3 years… it was awesome because I would teach her everything I knew about American food or what I learnt at school and she would teach me everything she knew about… well, everything; she traveled a lot when she was young and she was one of those ladies that’s always happy… I spent a great time there, she was like the mom I always wanted to have… and well, one day she died,” she said with a sad smile,

 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” said Cas,

 

“It’s cool, I mean, it was a long time ago, almost 4 years… she went to bed and just didn’t wake up, she had a smile in her face and looked peaceful; a lot of people showed up for her funeral, even friends from China and South America! I mean, she really was an adventurer… and she left me a few things, not money, she left all that shit to her sons but she left me her cooking books and a beautiful leather jacket; she left me a box full of pictures and postcards from her trips and after that I just decided to keep traveling,” she explained,

 

“And how is it that you ended up in this godforsaken town again?” Asked Dean taking a sip of his beer,

 

“My dad lived in Lebanon, Kansas but he had a huge farm here… why? I have no idea, he just liked this town… and after my time in Europe I went to Alaska for a couple of months and then I came back, I stayed here with dad but, I don’t know… he always saw me as his little girl and when I came back I was really different from the girl who left to study in France…and it was weird to hang out… he was always busy with the farm and he loved to write poetry so he was always in his little world… and I kept feeling that itch… I needed to leave again; he knew, and he was okay with it… so after 6 months, I left again,”

 

“Wow… did you go back to Europe?” asked Dean,

 

“Nah, South America… I was intrigued by Helga’s trips… in her old pictures she looked like she had a great time in those places… and I thought it was time to give Spanish another try,”

 

“Dude, she’s been to Mexico…Colombia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil!” said Charlie,

 

“That sounds awesome… I’m going to assume that you ended up learning Spanish, after all,” said Dean smiling,

 

“Si, yo lo entiendo más de lo que hablo pero mis amigos dicen que voy bien. Necesito regresar para practicar más,” she said with a little trouble. Charlie was looking at her as she was the most beautiful and amazing creature in the world; Dean just turned his attention to Cas waiting for his reaction,

 

“Tu pronunciación es muy buena. Tal vez podamos prácticar en otra ocasión. Aquí no tengo con quien hablar español. He intentado enseñar a Dean pero solo sabe decir groserías,” said Cas with a big smile on his face,

 

“Are you talking about groceries?” Asked Charlie,

 

“No... I know that one, they’re talking about cursing!” said Dean certain… “That’s like the only shit I know how to say in Spanish,”

 

“Yes, that’s what I was telling Dorothy,” said Cas laughing,

 

“So… Dorothy passed the big test? You really seem to like her,” said Charlie smiling,

 

“Charlie… I helped her to get a date with you… of course I like her; you to make a wonderful couple,” said Cas,

 

“Besides, you don’t need our approval Red… you’re a big girl, you know what you’re doing, and honestly, if someone can ask you on a second date after figuring out that you’re the biggest nerd ever, she’s totally a keeper,” said Dean. Charlie blushed a light shade of red and Dorothy kissed her cheek.

 

“I think that’s what I like about her, she knows a lot about things that I had no freaking idea that existed,” said Dorothy,

 

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.I can spend hours teaching her about Deadpool and then she can spend hours telling me about this old city in the middle of a jungle in Mexico… we never get bored,” said Charlie.

 

“I’m happy for you,” said Cas smiling, “Charlie is my best friend Dorothy, thanks for making her happy,” he added.

 

“Okay, enough with the Nicholas Spark’s books, we should get in the pool before someone starts crying,” said Dean finishing his beer and standing up.

 

“Yeah Dean, run to the pool so we can’t see your man tears,” said Charlie winking at him. Dean rolled his eyes and then ran to the pool splashing a lot of water making a cannon ball. The group followed him after that and even Nik ended up swimming for a while.

* * *

 

Charlie and Dean were cleaning the kitchen while Cas dried Nik outside and Jill was getting changed in the bathroom.

 

“I had a great time tonight Red,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah,” she said with a big smile.

 

“Dude, I’ve never seen you with that face,” said Dean leaning against the kitchen island. Charlie turned around to make sure that no one else was listening,

 

“Is it too soon to say that I… I think I found my Cas?” she bit her lower lip.

 

“That’s the cheesiest, most awesome way to describe love I’ve ever heard,” said Dean hugging her.

 

“Well, man, you guys are like the definition of love, to be honest,” she said. Dean chuckled and placed a kiss on top of her head.

 

“You’re the best little sister I could’ve asked for, I’m glad to see you happy,” said Dean. She smiled and buried her face on his chest.

* * *

 

August 6th

 

The week had passed both extremely fast and terribly slow at the same time. Cas had been going to Kraken the whole week to work on the new rules for his department and to help Meg and Tamika. After work he would dedicate a few hours to the book and Dean would take care of cooking dinner and playing with Nik.

Cas felt bad for not helping Dean around the house but Dean assured him that it was fine as long as Cas promised to go to bed before midnight the whole week and to eat at least twice a day. So after a week of ‘robot mode’ and sending the last corrections of the book to Vicky, it was finally Friday and they were on their seats in the plane waiting for it to take off.  

Cas smiled at his husband who was already asleep after taking a pill to help him relax during the flight. Nik was inside his cage under Cas’s feet. Castiel could feel the stress leaving his body just by thinking that they were headed to New York; he closed his eyes and leaned his head against Dean’s shoulder. When he opened his eyes again they were landing on his favorite city in the world.

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe it’s freaking raining!” said Dean. They were walking on the ‘Bobby Wagner Walk’ on their way back to the hotel. Luckily Cas always carried an umbrella when he traveled so they were hugging under the black umbrella while Dean carried a bag of takeaway and Cas carried Nik.

 

“Well, it’s summer and New York is known for having a weird weather,” said Cas chuckling. His glasses were getting small stains of water and it was turning hard to see.

 

“At least it started to rain when we were close to the hotel… it wasn’t that bad,” said Dean while they walked into the hotel, “wow, your glasses,” he removed them from Cas’s face.

 

“Thanks,” said Cas taking the glasses from Dean’s hand and placing a quick peck on his cheek.

 

“We need a warm shower and I don’t know about you but I could use some hot chocolate,” said Dean.

 

“Add Netfilx to that and I’m in,” said Cas with a smile.

* * *

 

August 7th

 

“This coffee is awesome,” said Dean. Cas smiled and looked at their surroundings. They were having breakfast at the deck of a pet friendly restaurant in SoHo.

 

“This whole thing ... Being here with you and Nik; even the weather is perfect today,” said Cas.

 

“I love seeing you this happy,” said Dean with a smile. Cas placed a quick peck on his lips and then took a sip of his tea; “so, what are the plans for today? Apart obviously from eating pizza at some point,”

 

“Well, I want to go to the park obviously but since we’re at this part of the city we could find something to do that’s closer,” said Cas.

 

“Whatever you wanna do, I’m okay with it as long as it’s ‘pet friendly,’ I’m not sure Nik would appreciate if we ditched him,” said Dean.

 

“Well… in that case, we can just walk. I love seeing the buildings in Tribeca and I’m pretty sure we’ll find something interesting to do,” answered Cas.

 

“Wow Cas, look at you, being all spontaneous and shit,” said Dean.

 

“I don’t know why; I swear this place makes me feel ready to face anything,” admitted Cas.

* * *

 

They ended up walking around SoHo and Tribeca; Dean felt incredibly happy just by seeing his husband’s face. Cas was entranced with his surroundings.

 

Even Nik had a great time; he got to try a hot dog and he was just happy of walking and spending time with Cas and Dean. Eventually they returned to the tourist part of the city. Dean insisted on Cas visiting the MoMa and since Nik wasn’t allowed inside Dean took him to Central Park and they waited there for Cas.

 

They enjoyed every minute of the day. Nik had fun with other dogs in the park. Cas and Dean walked holding hands and of course they had pizza for dinner.

 

At the end of the day Cas insisted on going to a Barnes & Noble to randomly sign copies of the graphic novels; he was friends with the manager of the place and she obviously agreed when Cas texted her. Two girls recognized him and he signed their books too. Dean always found funny when someone else tried to flirt with Cas and he didn’t notice.

* * *

 

August 8th

 

On Sunday they took the ferry to see the statue of liberty first and then they decided to grab some lunch in Brooklyn. Dean could swear Cas had a special smile dedicated only to New York; and then, while Cas helped a couple of French tourist with directions, he couldn’t help but wonder if moving to Manhattan would be too crazy. ‘ _I could open a garage here? Work only on restorations while Cas works on his books; is this place good for my kind of business? Everyone seems to be using the subway... but there are a shitload of cars too; maybe I could work at a university as a teacher... a nice house in Tribeca, Cas was really in love with that place... or maybe here, Brooklyn is awesome;’_ his train of thoughts was interrupted when Cas said goodbye to the tourists and turned his attention back to Dean.

 

“Dean, are you okay?”

“Yes... I just, I think I never noticed how beautiful this place is,” said Dean.

 

“Well it is, specially when you’re here with me,” said Cas. Dean smiled and placed a kiss on top of Cas’s head.

 

“I love you, blue hair,” whispered Dean.

 

“I love you too,” said Cas. They kept walking hand in hand.

 

“Are you gonna keep that color for the tour?” asked Dean.

 

“I don’t know, I’m actually thinking about pink,” said Cas.

 

“Really?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes, like cotton candy,”

 

“Hmm… you would look great babe,” said Dean.

 

“I’ll think about it,” said Cas.

* * *

 

 

August 11th

 

“Dean?” Cas and Gabe walked into the house with Nik happily walking behind them. They had just gone to Target to get everything ready since Jill and the kids were visiting again and next day would be Bobby’s birthday.

 

“He’s not in the kitchen,” said Gabe.

 

“He’s probably downstairs; he’s been reading since yesterday,” said Cas.

 

“Dude, that’s so not fair… I want to read your book too,” said Gabe while helping Cas to put everything on its place in the kitchen.

 

“Ask dad for a copy, I only have one, I can’t make more, what if one gets lost?” Said Cas.

 

“You just want me to wait and pay for a book,” said Gabe.

 

“Gabriel you’ve literally never paid a dime for any of the books… I even gave you 3 sets of signed copies of the graphic novels 2 years ago so you could make a contest and win more followers on your bakery’s Instagram,” said Cas rolling his eyes.

 

“Hey! You should do that this year too!” said Gabe.

 

“Hi guys!” interrupted Dean.

 

“Man, you look like Cas when he binge watches a show in Netflix,” said Gabe.

 

“I can’t stop reading man,” said Dean with a smile.

 

“Wow… that good?” asked Gabe.

 

“Dude… if you thought a series about the king of hell and his crazy mom was awesome… a series about the hunters that fight against him… this is something else! And there are more monsters than just demons now… ever heard of a Wendigo? Dude… Chuck and Cas sure did an amazing job with this,” said Dean.

 

“Oh man, I want to read it!” said Gabe trying to snatch the papers from Dean’s hand.

 

“I’m on the last chapter… you can have it when I finish it,” said Dean rolling his eyes.

 

“Okay,” said Gabe with a pout.

 

“Anyway, you guys need help with anything?” asked Dean.

 

“We bought dinner and we have everything we need to bake Bobby’s cookies, you should go back to reading; your opinion about this book is really important to me,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, I’ll go back to the basement then, shout if you need anything… and if Bobby asks, I helped with the cookies,” said Dean. He placed a quick kiss on Cas’s cheek and then he left the kitchen.

* * *

 

After dinner and saying goodbye to Gabe (who left happily with the copy of the book in his hands); Dean and Cas got ready for bed.

 

“So what did you think?” asked Cas while getting into bed next to his husband.

 

“It’s amazing… but man, the cliffhanger…Did Sean really go to hell?” asked Dean.

 

“Spoilers,” said Cas with a smile.

 

“Oh, very smart River Song… c’mon tell me,” said Dean.

 

“Well, we already have a draft of the first chapters of the next book…. But it’s not the final result… so far yes, he went to hell and he’s going to spend a long time there… though, as Crowley has said before, time passes different in hell than on Earth, ” said Cas.

 

“But is he gonna get out or is he gonna stay there? Is he gonna meet Crowley there?” asked Dean. Cas laughed and rolled his eyes,

 

“Their timelines haven’t crossed yet,” explained Cas.

 

“What do you mean?” asked Dean.

 

“Well, in the ‘Devil’s trap’ series… dad wrote about Crowley and his horrible childhood; his crazy mother and all that, right? I mean, he lets the reader know that eventually he became the king of hell but he focuses on the years before that, and the thing is that well, that story happened hundreds of years before these new books… Sean and Dan live in year 2005,”

 

“Crap, Crowley must be long gone by then; that sucks… would’ve been cool to see him again in the new books,” said Dean. Cas loved the way Dean showed interest in the books; he was a huge fan of the story.

 

“Oh, but they will cross paths eventually,” confessed Cas.

 

“Really?” asked Dean with a huge smile.

 

“He’s a demon Dean, hundreds of years can go by and he would still be around… maybe you'll finally get to see him as the king of hell,” said Cas.

 

“Oh man, that would be awesome, I mean, when he became a crossroads demon it was so freaking cool and I loved how your dad finished the last book with him meeting Lilith… oh man, did they get married or something? Is that how he becomes king of hell?” Cas started to laugh.

 

“No Dean, they’re not married …but yes, Dad and I have been talking and we want him to appear in the new books too… making him work for Lilith is one of the options we have, we haven’t discussed Crowley’s status yet,” Cas took off his glasses and placed them on his bedside table.

 

“Man… I can’t wait… he’s one of my favorite characters,” said Dean turning off his lamp.

 

“I thought he was your favorite character, period,” said Cas surprised.

 

“Well, that was before you guys decided to create a couple of hunters based on Sam and Dean Winchester,” said Dean.

 

“They’re barely based on you two… we only used your names and switched the first letters,” said Cas with a sarcastic tone.

 

“Dude, Sean says ‘awesome’ so much that I’m pretty sure I can charge you guys for using that word… that’s my thing,” said Dean laughing, “and Dan went to Stanford to become a lawyer; he likes to eat healthy food and to talk about his feelings,”

 

“Thanks for letting me use your personalities and physical appearance with the characters… I have to admit that I was afraid you would say no when I asked you guys,” said Cas.

 

“Are you kidding me? It’s pretty cool… It’s weird, like you’re writing what would’ve happened if we had stayed with dad instead of Bobby; and if monsters were real of course, but I like what you did with the characters,” said Dean, “oh… I’ve been meaning to ask too, is Sean bi? He only talks about girls and he does that a lot but I’m pretty sure that’s because of the way he was raised. Are you gonna talk about that eventually?”

 

“Yes, it was dad’s idea to make him act like that, to stay in the closet… he says, in a way, it will help him realize how I felt, hiding who I really was,” confessed Cas.

 

“I think I would have stayed in the closet if dad had raised us; I don’t remember much about him but he was one of those macho ‘men don’t cry’ kinda guy,” said Dean.

 

“I’m glad you liked the book, and I’m glad that you got to be raised by Bobby instead of your dad,” said Cas as he turned around to turn off his lamp. Dean chuckled.

 

“I love you,” said Dean. Cas smiled, pulled Dean from the collar of his shirt and started kissing him eagerly.

 

“Hmm… am I about to get lucky?” Asked Dean.

 

“We’ll have a busy weekend, remember? I love my family but you know sometimes their visits drain my energy,” said Cas.

 

“You're so considerate; having sex today because you won't feel like it during the weekend," said Dean chuckling.

 

"Yes, I know how much you appreciate our sex life," said Cas.

 

"I could try to think of a comeback but to be honest you're totally right and i'm pretty sure the blood of my brain has started to travel to a different part of my body," said Dean while taking off his shirt.

 

" I can help you with that," said Cas with a smile.

 

"that's the idea," 

* * *

 

August 14th

 

Jill, Chuck, Bobby, Jody and Mike were in Bobby’s kitchen drinking coffee and having birthday cake. Gabe had volunteered to drive his older brother to the airport and they were waiting for him to arrive since he had gone to his bakery to solve a problem.

 

Alan was sitting on Jill’s lap and Len on Mike’s. It was a nice quiet moment and they could only hear the sound of the TV in the living room where Cas, Dean and Charlie were watching cartoons with Tegan.

 

“These little guys need haircuts,” said Mike ruffling Leonard’s long hair. Having huge amounts of hair was another Novak treat; they really had long hair for a couple of one year olds.

 

“They look great with their hair like that,” said Charlie out loud from the sofa.

 

“Yesterday a lady said that my daughters look beautiful,” said Mike. Jill rolled her eyes.

 

“Good luck trying to cut Al’s hair… when Cas was his age it was basically impossible to do it,” said Chuck,

 

“Well, my son is not like Castiel,” said Mike with a piercing voice.

 

“Yeah son, we heard you the first 35 times you said it during breakfast,” said Bobby. Michael didn’t say a word because he knew Bobby wouldn’t hesitate on saying what was in his mind.

 

“Anyway… this cake is amazing,” said Jill to change the subject.

 

“I know, Gabriel did an excellent job, it’s a shame you couldn’t be here, we had a nice time, oh, and the boys baked my favorite cookies,” said Bobby smiling.

 

“We can keep celebrating this weekend Bobby, you only turn 61 once,” said Chuck with a smile.

 

“Dinner at our place!” said Dean from the kitchen.

 

Gabe opened the main door in that moment and walked into the house removing a few droplets of rain from his shoulders.

 

“Well, the weather finally decided to act like it is freaking summer in South Dakota… it looks like there’s a big storm coming,” said Gabe; he walked to the living room first to say hi to Cas, Charlie, Tegan and Dean.

 

“Uncle Gabe… can the plane fall if it’s flying on a storm?” asked Tegan worriedly.

 

“No Teg, those pilots are experts on what they do… a silly old storm is nothing for them,” said Gabe.

 

“Besides, Tegan, the storm wont start until later this evening… your father will be away from South Dakota by then,” added Cas.

 

“You sure?” asked Tegan.

 

“Have I ever lied to you?” asked Cas. She shook her head and then leaned on Charlie to keep watching the TV. Gabe winked at her and then walked towards the kitchen.

 

“Was everything alright?” asked Jill.

 

“Yeah, I forgot to sign a couple of papers and it was kinda urgent but I’m ready now… let’s take you to the airport big bro,” said Gabe.

 

“Okay, I’ll just go get my stuff,” said Michael; he stood up and handed his son to Bobby.

* * *

“Tegan, daddy is ready to go… come say goodbye to him,” said Jill while carrying Alan and standing by the door next to her husband. Tegan ran towards his father and hugged his legs,

 

“Goodbye daddy, good luck!” she said.

 

He crouched to be at his daughter’s level and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

 

“Take care of your mom and your brothers, I’ll be back on Monday,” he said.

 

Tegan nodded and kissed her father’s cheek. Michael stood up and after kissing his wife and kids good bye and waving to everyone else, he followed Gabe to his car.

 

“Okay, who wants some hot chocolate?” asked Bobby once they saw Gabe’s car leave. Everyone agreed that it would be the perfect complement for the weather.

* * *

 

For lunch, the family decided to move the activities to Cas and Dean’s house since it was bigger and they wanted to start everything for Bobby’s birthday dinner.

 

Bobby, Charlie, Jodie and Gabe took care of making food for everyone while Chuck, Jill, Dean and Cas took care of the kids (and the dogs).

 

“Dude, Bert is growing up so fast, he’s starting to look more like Nik,” said Dean while playing with the twins and the dogs on the floor.

 

“Yeah, but so far he hasn’t helped me to meet cute girls yet,” said Gabe.

 

“You should try the park that was close to our old apartment, there’s always a lot of people with dogs there,” said Dean.

 

“Sweet,” said Gabe with a smirk.

 

Cas, Tegan and Chuck were drawing on the dinning table. Cas had a huge smile on his face; he loved being with his family.

 

The doorbell interrupted them in that moment and Cas stood up to open the door. He walked back a minute later with Dorothy next to him.

 

“Hi Dorothy!” said Jill.

 

“Hi,” she said waving at everyone, “I hope you guys don’t mind me joining you… I didn’t feel like going to my ranch this weekend with the weather like this, and when I called Charlie she told me to drop by,” she explained. Charlie left the carrots she was chopping and walked towards her girlfriend to envelop her in a hug.

 

“Hi,” said the redhead, “Dean, Cas and Jill already know her but for the rest of you, this is Dorothy, my girlfriend,” said Charlie looking to where Bobby and Jody were standing.

 

Jody smiled and Bobby gave her a small nod. Charlie felt a little more relaxed.

 

“Hey, Dorothy, did you leave your bike on the yard? You should put it in the garage; the weather looks freaking crazy; I would hate for a sweet ride like that to suffer even a little scratch,” interrupted Dean.

 

“Oh, you’re probably right,” said Dorothy.

 

“I’ll go with you,” said Charlie, “Hey Teg, wanna come? Dorothy’s bike is awesome,” Tegan looked at her mother for approval; once Jill smiled at her Tegan stood up and followed Charlie and Dorothy out of the house.

* * *

 

It took Tegan a couple of minutes to stop being shy around Dorothy; she kept staring at her.

 

“Tegan… Dorothy has a ranch; with cows and horses and a lot of animals,” said Charlie.

 

“Do you have pigs?” asked Tegan.

 

“No… but I’ve been thinking about getting one,” said Dorothy.

 

“Pigs are really cute, you should,” said Tegan.

 

“Maybe you can help me pick one, I’ll look on the Internet and show you the pictures when I have the candidates, what do you say?” asked Dorothy.

 

“Awesome!” said Tegan smiling.

 

After their interaction at the garage, Tegan went from being scared of talking to Dorothy to wanting to know everything about her. Dorothy found it very amusing since she rarely interacted with kids for long periods.

 

“Teg,” said Jill, “I know you’re really exited about meeting new people but we all want to get to know Dorothy, okay?”

 

“Sorry, she’s really cool,” said Tegan blushing.

 

“Hey, you’re pretty cool too kiddo… but the truth is, I’m pretty sure Bobby wants to talk to me; he wants to make sure that Charlie is dating a decent person,” said Dorothy,

 

“Yeah, he loves aunt Charlie a lot; he says she’s his daughter. Jody loves her a lot too, you should talk to her too,” said Tegan; then, in a whisper that obviously everybody could hear, she added, “Be good to aunt Charlie, they have guns;” she grabbed her pencil colors and her coloring book and ran towards the living room.

 

“Sorry about that,” said Jill.

 

“It’s cool, she’s a pretty smart kid, I like her,” said Dorothy. Bobby sat at the table right in front of Dorothy and handed her a beer.

 

“So… Dorothy, tell us about yourself,” he said with a poker face.

 

“Jesus; you really are a little scary,” she admitted.

 

“Oh, don’t worry, he’s just a big soft Teddy bear once you get to know him,” said Gabriel.

 

* * *

 

A couple of hours later found all the grown ups laughing and having a great time at the dinning room while the kids napped upstairs.

 

Bobby loved Dorothy of course and it turned out that Jody knew her dad from charity events at the kids’ hospital.

 

“Your dad was a great man,” said Jody.

 

“I know… we weren’t very close, it was weird, but at least at the end I got to spend a nice time with him and we talked a lot and I think we finally became friends; it’s a shame he’s gone, but at least I know he was happy,” said Dorothy.

 

“Girl, you really are material for this family,” said Gabe.

 

“What do you mean?” asked Dorothy.

 

“Well… apparently the universe isn’t that creative and everyone here grew up without a parent, or lost someone or has an unconventional family; sometimes I feel like there’s like a casting, you know? Like ‘hey! Did you grow up without parents and you feel lonely? Here, I’ll put you with this family… they’re kinda weird but they love each other a lot,’ and then somehow you end up here,” explained Gabe.

 

“Or maybe, the universe is really creative and it found a way to make all these people happy by giving them what they needed… a family,” answered Dorothy.

 

“It’s official, I like you,” said Jody.

 

“Thanks,” said Dorothy. Charlie held her hand and leaned her head on Dorothy’s shoulder.

* * *

 

The storm finally hit a little after 5 pm. It was pouring. Cas, Charlie and Dorothy set the table while Dean and Gabe carried the food to the table. Chuck and Jill were trying to distract the twins since they were really scared with the storm, especially Alan. There was a particularly loud thunder that made him scream a big “No!”

 

Tegan seemed more focused on the stairs than on her surroundings. She was sitting on her place absentmindedly playing with a straw and staring at the stairs.

 

“Do you want to go upstairs Tegan?” asked Castiel while placing a glass next to her.

 

“Uncle Cas,” she said.

 

“Yes?”

 

“You said you lived in this house when you were a kid,” said Tegan,

 

“That’s right… though it was smaller and a little different. Your uncle and I bought the lot next to it and made the house bigger and more modern,” explained Cas.

 

“Oh, and do you still have that Harry Potter room?” asked the little girl.

 

“The what?” asked Cas confused.

 

“Your room; I heard daddy and mom the other day; they said that you used to live in a closet like Harry Potter,” said Tegan, “Grandpa Chuck, why did you make uncle Cas sleep in a small closet under the stairs?” she asked.

 

Nobody said anything for a few seconds.

 

“That’s not what your parents meant Tegan,” said Cas chuckling.

 

“Then?” she asked confused. Cas hesitated for a moment.

 

“That’s an expression… when people say that someone ‘is in the closet’ it means…” it was hard to phrase it for a little 5 year old.

 

“What uncle Cas is trying to say sweetheart,” said Dean, “you see how I married him because we both like men?” he asked; Tegan nodded; “well, for a long time your uncle Cas was scared of telling other people that he liked boys instead of girls… so he kept it a secret; and people say that if you live with that secret then you’re inside the closet… because you’re hiding,” explained Dean.

 

“But you weren’t living in a real closet?” she asked; Cas chuckled again and shook his head; “Why didn’t you want to tell that you liked boys?” asked Tegan.

 

“Some people think that it’s wrong for two men or to women to be in love with each other,” said Cas.

 

“That’s silly,” said Tegan.

 

“Why?” asked Chuck,

 

“Because it is. People who think that …they are silly; I’m happy that you told your secret and that you married uncle Dean; and I’m happy that aunt Charlie has a girlfriend now, she looks happy, and I like Dorothy,” she said.

 

“Thanks kiddo,” said Dorothy whit a big smile.

 

“You’re awesome Tegs,” said Dean winking at her.

 

“I was hopping I could see your Harry Potter room though,” she said with disappointment.

 

“Sorry kiddo, no British wizards under our stairs,” said Dean placing a kiss on her head.

 

“That’s okay I guess… at least we have lasagna,” she answered.

* * *

 

They were having dessert when Jill got a message from her husband,

 

“Oh my God! Mike got the job! We’re moving to LA!” she said with a huge grin.

 

Everyone cheered and clapped and they opened another bottle of wine to keep the celebrations.

 

“He’s having brunch tomorrow with his new bosses,” she said.

 

“Michael having brunch, that’s something I thought I’d never hear,” said Gabe.

 

“I know,” said Jill.

 

“Mom, when are we moving?” what about school?” asked Tegan.

 

“I’ll have to talk to your dad when he comes back, maybe you’ll go to school for a few months in Pierre until we have everything ready in LA. There’s a lot of stuff we need to do, find a house, a good school close to that house… pack everything, sell the old house, I don’t know if your dad will want us to keep the car or if we’ll sell it and buy another one in LA,” said Jill.

 

“Can I choose my new school?”

 

“Of course Tegan,” said Jill.

 

“Great… um, mom?” she asked.

 

“Yep?”

 

“Where’s LA?”

 

The rest of the evening was spent teaching Tegan about California and trying to calm her down when she discovered that they would live close to Disneyland.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and for all your nice comments and your kudos. I really appreciate it. I'll try to add another chapter later this week; hopefully I won't be that busy with work, but who knows?


	11. Are you guys friends again?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean finds someone from his past in te park... Angst and drama ensured.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I've been busy AF with work but I had a little break so I decided to add this chapter before i have to go back to work. I hope you like it. Thanks so much for reading and for your comments and kudos.

* * *

 

August 15th

 

“C’mon Al, you need to wear the sunscreen kiddo,” said Dean while trying to smear the cream on his nephew’s face, which was basically an impossible task.

 

“Dean, it is pointless… here,” said Cas handing him a spray can, “spray sunscreen,”

 

“Dude… you could’ve told me about this like 10 minutes ago,” said Dean grabbing the spray.

 

“I wanted to see how you handled the situation,” said Cas with a smirk.

 

“Uncle Cas, I don’t get it… why do we need sunscreen? Yesterday there was a storm… I bet it’s gonna rain again today,” said Tegan while putting on her yellow rain boots.

 

“It’s gonna be sunny all morning Tegan, it’s actually pretty hot outside right now… a little protection from the sun won't hurt you,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” she said.

 

“The twins are ready to go,” said Charlie with a smile.

 

“C’mon… everybody in the car,” said Dean; he stood up carrying Alan and gave a quick peck to his husband, “have a nice day babe,”

 

“Wait, uncle Cas isn’t coming?” she asked,

 

“No Tegan, I have a business meeting with my father… but I’ll cook dinner for all of us with your uncle Gabe,” said Cas.

 

“Can we have chicken nuggets?” she asked,

 

“Shaped like dinosaurs?” asked Cas,

 

“Yes!” she hugged him and then ran towards the door.

 

“Okay, we better go before Teg decides to run all the way to the park,” said Jill laughing.

 

“See you guys later, have fun,” said Cas waving goodbye.

* * *

 

 

A knock on his office door distracted Chuck from his current task; he had a lot of papers and folders scattered all over his desk.

 

“Yes?” he asked,

 

“I’m here dad,” informed Cas,

 

“Oh, come in son,” answered Chuck.

 

Cas opened the door and walked into the office.

 

“Wow,” he said.

 

“What?” asked Chuck,

 

“This place usually looks more… in order; are you writing again?” said Cas.

 

“I...no, sorry… I was looking for an important document,” said Chuck. Cas nodded and sat at his usual place, in front of his father’s desk.

 

“Is Vicky coming or are we going to Face time?” asked Cas.

 

“Hmm…” it took Chuck a few seconds to answer the question since he was reading a paper, “Face time… she’ll text when she’s ready,” he said.

 

“Okay,” said Cas… “Dad, you look stressed… are you okay?” he asked.

 

“Yeah… yeah… I just… I need to send this to Mr. Compton and I can’t find a document,” said Chuck.

 

“Dad… are you having legal problems?” asked Cas.

 

“What? No!” answered Chuck,

 

“You look nervous and you need to send an important document to your lawyer,” said Cas.

 

“I’m… I didn’t want to talk about it until it was ready but… I’m working on my will,” said Chuck,

 

“Your will? Are you sick?” Cas was scared now,

 

“No, no… I’m perfectly healthy son… this is just… a mere formality; this isn’t even the first time I write one,” said Chuck,

 

“No?” asked Cas,

 

“Nope… I wrote the first one after your mother left… then I changed it once you turned 18… then when Tegan was born… and now I want to add a few changes; I want the twins in it too,” said Chuck. Cas didn’t know what to say. “Son, this is something normal, you know? In fact, you should make one too… that way, if something happens at least you know that everything was left in order.”

 

“That sound so creepy and responsible at the same time,” said Cas.

 

“It is what it is Cas… I’m not getting any younger,” said Chuck.

 

“I believe no one is,” said Cas with a smirk.

 

“You’re right,” said Chuck… “Oh, here it is!” he lifted a paper from the table, “my divorce arrangement,” he said,

 

“What arrangement?” Asked Cas,

 

“I had to keep giving your mother a monthly allowance for the same number of years that we were married,” said Chuck,

 

“What? You kept giving her money? Why? She left! I’m pretty sure that’s reason enough for a judge to stop her from taking your money!” said Cas.

 

“It wasn’t that simple…Luckily I hadn’t been published yet when we got divorced… so it isn’t that much money; but we were married for almost 19 years… the deal ends this December,” announced Chuck.

 

“I don’t understand why would you keep giving her money…. After all she did,” said Cas.

 

“It was worth it for what I got in exchange,” said Chuck.

 

“What did you? Wait… did… were you? … We were part of the deal; you kept your sons,” said Cas in realization.

 

“Something like that… I mean, she was free to talk or visit you with previous notice and only if you guys agreed to see her, though, well… the only one who wanted that was Mike as you already know,” explained Chuck,

 

“I feel like I know Naomi less and less with every year that goes by,” said Cas.

 

“That makes two of us,” said Chuck; right in that moment Chuck received a text from Vicky,

 

“Business meeting time?” asked Cas,

 

“Yes,” said Chuck.

 

“Okay.” Cas grabbed his ipad from his backpack and waited with his dad for Vicky’s call.

* * *

 

“I don’t know if I should wake him up… he’s gonna be moody,” said Jill pushing the stroller with Leonard sound asleep and Alan staring at his surroundings.

 

“I’ll stay with him,” said Dean pointing to a bench, “I can watch you guys from here… if Len wakes up I’ll take him to play with his siblings… and if you need anything just shout and I’ll help… I can take care of your backpacks and purses and all that stuff,” he placed the cooler on the floor and sat comfortably on the bench. Jill took Alan from the stroller and they placed their purses and the diaper bag on Alan’s place.

 

“Can I have a juice?” asked Tegan.

 

“Sure thing kiddo,” said Dean; he opened the cooler and handed a Capri sun to his niece. She grabbed it happily and then pulled Charlie towards the swings.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to keep you company?” asked Jill.

 

“Jill, he’s asleep… besides, this isn’t the first time I take care of him… go and have fun with your other kids and I’ll take care of Len,” said Dean. He grabbed his iPad from Charlie’s backpack, “I’ll just relax, read a book and keep an eye on him,”

 

“Okay, thanks a lot,” she placed Alan on the ground and walked at his pace to where Charlie and Tegan were. Dean smiled, he was really glad that Alan was walking now.

* * *

 

“We’ll send you the copy in Spanish first of course Cas… I know you’ll want to approve that one personally,” said Vicky on the screen of Chuck’s computer.

 

“Thanks, yes… that would make me feel more relaxed,” he admitted.

 

“Okay so, we agree then that English version comes out first and then next year, around March we publish the versions in other languages?” she asked. Chuck nodded,

 

“Thanks a lot again for talking to Mr. Yates and his people… they really think that we have a magical computer that creates books with just a click,” said Chuck.

 

“He only worries about his money… and he’s also dying to see what happens next,” she said with a smirk.

 

“Well, he’ll have to wait like the rest of the world… we agreed that we would publish a new book every two years,” said Chuck.

 

“You know how he is,” said Vicky, “anyway… I have to go, I have a meeting in half an hour,”

 

“Thanks for your time Vicky… I’ll call you tomorrow,” said Chuck.

 

“Sure, have a nice day guys,” she said and after waving goodbye she finished the call.

 

“Well… it seems like we’re finishing the last details… are you ready for the tours and the interviews and all that’s waiting for us?” asked Chuck.

 

“Not really… it’s been almost 3 years since the last time I had to go through all that… a lot of things have changed now… but at least I feel more prepared than the last time we had to do it,” admitted Cas.

 

“Everything’s going to be fine Cas,” said Chuck.

 

If he only knew...

* * *

 

Dean was re-reading (for like the 10th time) book 5 of the ‘Devil’s trap series’. He felt someone sitting next to him on the bench and when he looked with his peripheral vision he saw that it was a brunette woman reading a magazine. He returned his eyes to his book ignoring the lady.

 

5 minutes later Leonard woke up and called his mom when he noticed Dean sitting in front of him,

 

“Oh, hey kiddo… your mom’s playing with your brother… here,” he took him out of the stroller and sat him on his lap, “see… they’re over there, they seem to be having a great time; lets wait a few minutes for you to wake up completely and then you can go and play too,” said Dean. Leonard rubbed his eyes and yawned. “You’re sweating… lets drink some water okay?” Dean opened the cooler and grabbed a bottle of water, then he grabbed a bottle from the diaper bag and poured the water in the bottle for Leonard. “Here you go buddy,” said Dean.

 

Leonard grabbed the bottle and started to drink happily. Dean ruffled his hair and placed his iPad back in Charlie’s backpack.

 

“Look at Tegan Len… she’s having a blast too…” said Dean pointing at his niece.

 

“Dean?” said the woman sitting next to him. It took Dean a couple of seconds to recognize that voice… he turned to his right and saw Lisa Braeden.

 

“Oh, hi… Lis… Lisa,” he said a little confused. She looked exactly as Dean remembered her; except now she had shorter hair and she seemed tired.

 

“Hi! Oh my God… you haven’t changed one bit… how are you?” Dean could hear the awkwardness in her voice.

 

“I’m… I’m cool, yeah, how ’bout you… haven’t seen you in a while,” he kicked himself mentally _‘what the fuck was that Winchester? Of course you haven’t seen her in a while,_ ’

 

“Yeah… I, I actually left town after well, you know,” she said.

 

“Really?” Dean felt a little guilty, she had left town because she wanted to be away from Dean and he hadn’t even noticed.

 

“Yeah, we live in Cicero, Indiana now,” she said.

 

“Cool, cool… and, what are you doing in Sioux Falls then?” he asked.

 

“My parents have been traveling a lot for a while but now they want to retire to Florida and they’re finally selling the house. I came to pick up the rest of my stuff that were still here,” she said. Dean nodded and didn’t say anything after that.

 

“Mama,” said Leonard pointing towards Jill’s direction.

 

“What’s that kiddo? You wanna go and play with your mom? Let me put more sunscreen on your face,” said Dean. He grabbed the sunscreen and applied a generous amount on the kid’s face, “I know it smells weird but this is better than a sunburn and feeling miserable later,” said Dean.

 

“So… you have kids now,” said Lisa; she was actually surprised. After Dean ended their relationship she was pretty sure that he would spend the rest of his life pining for Castiel an vice versa. Probably at that point they even weren’t friends anymore… they weren’t talking when she left.

 

“Oh no, no… we don’t have kids,” said Dean, “this little guy and his siblings are Michael’s kids, remember Michael, Castiel’s brother?” he asked. Lisa raised her eyebrows. So Dean and Cas were still friends then… and Dean was married, he had said ‘we’.

 

“Yeah,” she said.

 

“Well, he and his wife have 3 kids,” said Dean ruffling Len’s hair.

 

“You got married,” said Lisa; she noticed Dean’s ring when he ruffled the kid’s hair.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean with a small nod.

 

“I have to admit Dean, I didn’t think you would end up finding someone,” she confessed.

 

“I umm, a lot happened after… after we broke up,” he said. “What about you? Are you married?”

 

“Nope,” she said.

 

“Oh,” he answered. They didn’t say anything for almost a minute.

 

“So, I see you’re still in contact with Castiel’s family then; are you guys friends again?” she asked.

 

“Actually…” Dean was interrupted by a little kid who looked about the same age as Tegan; he almost crashed against Dean’s knee when he ran towards Lisa.

 

“Mom, I’m thirsty, can I have my juice now please?” he asked. The boy was wearing an AC/DC t-shirt and green jeans. His hair was a light shade of brown and short, and it looked like he had tried to make it look like a Mohawk without success. Dean was shocked _‘did he call her mom?’_

 

“Ben, honey, be careful; you almost hit Dean,” she said. She opened her huge purse and started looking inside.

 

“Sorry,” said Ben.

 

“No problem,” said Dean, “nice shirt,”

 

“Do you know AC/DC? They’re the best band in the world! My dad likes them a lot too!” he said with excitement.

 

“Thought you weren’t married,” said Dean.

 

“I’m not; it’s just…just Ben and I,” said Lisa.

 

“Right; well Ben, it’s always a pleasure to meet another fan of the greatest band in the world,” said Dean trying really hard to keep it cool while talking to the boy and doing math on his head…

 

“Awesome,” said the boy.

 

“How old are you buddy?” asked Dean. Lisa was still looking for her son’s juice.

 

“I’m 5 and 8 months; I’ll be 6 in November,” said Ben.

 

“Oh, umm… I have a niece; she’s almost your age, she turned 5 in February,” said Dean. He really had no idea what else to say, he was freaking out, and Lisa wasn’t helping, why hadn’t she say anything?

 

“Ben, I’m so sorry, I forgot your juice at your grandparents’ house,” said Lisa, “I only brought water; you can have juice when we go back, okay?” she handed him a bottle of water.

 

“But mom, I wanted my juice,” he said looking disappointed.

 

“I… we have extra juice,” said Dean; he grabbed a Capri sun from the cooler and handed it to Ben, “I mean, if it is cool with your mom,” he said.

 

“Thanks a lot, I’ve been so busy this days, I’m sorry Ben; I’ll make it up to you, I promise,” she said.

 

“It’s okay mom,” he said. He seemed really mature, “can we buy pie on our way home?” he asked.

 

“Sure thing baby,” said Lisa smiling. Dean was freaking out at that point. The kid was almost 6 years old, he loved AC/DC and pie; Lisa was a single mom… or that’s what it looked like, the kid had said that his dad was a big fan of the band,

 

“You like pie?” asked Dean.

 

“I love it,” said Ben, “but mom won’t leave me have it every night, she says I’m a pain in the butt when I eat a lot of sugar,” explained Ben.

 

“That sucks man… and what does your dad think about the whole pie situation?” asked Dean. Lisa looked at him with fire in her eyes,

 

“I don’t know, I’ll ask him when he comes back,” said Ben with innocence.

 

“Honey, we need to go… go pick up your football and say goodbye to you friends okay? Say goodbye to Dean,” said Lisa.

 

“Bye Dean, thanks for the juice,” said Ben and then he ran towards the sandbox where he had left his football and a couple of kids were waiting for him.

 

“That was so uncalled for Dean,” she said upset.

 

“Sorry… I, I couldn’t help but notice, he’s 5 years and 8 months; you and I… the last time we were, umm… that party on February,” he was talking in short sentences and he was sure that he was sounding like a stupid robot.

 

“You were never good at remembering dates and all of a sudden you can remember the last time we slept together?” she asked without raising her voice.

 

“Lis… c’mon,” said Dean.

 

“Don’t worry Dean; Ben is only mine, he doesn’t have a father and he doesn’t need one… go back to your perfect life with your perfect wife. I can’t believe you actually managed to find someone good enough to make you forget about Cas; at least you got cured,” this time Dean was the one with rage in his face. He placed Leonard in the stroller and stood up to be face to face with Lisa.

 

“I didn’t find someone who made me forget about Cas… I married him!” he answered.

 

“That’s… wow,” she was in shock. She fell upset and hurt; she wasn’t in love with Dean anymore, it wasn’t about that. At the end, it all had been a contest against Castiel and when she left all those years ago, she was pretty sure that she had won; even though she didn’t end up with Dean, at least Cas was out of the picture. It was childish, she knew; but now, after hearing Dean’s words she couldn’t help but feel that she had lost the competition.

 

“Mom, what’s going on?” asked Ben who was back.

 

“Nothing honey, let’s go,” she said with a fake smile.

 

“Lisa, I have the right to know,” said Dean trying to calm down.

 

“Good bye Dean,” she said turning around and pulling Ben towards the parking lot. He wanted to run behind them but he didn’t want to make a scene or scare Leonard. He wanted to scream… he wanted the truth. He wanted a hug from Cas… _‘Oh my god, Cas is gonna kill me’_ he thought.

* * *

Dean spent the rest of the day looking pale and worried.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay Dean?” asked Jill. They were sitting under a tree now, drinking water and resting.

 

“Yeah, I just… I saw Lisa and I wasn’t expecting to find her here; left me a little upset, you know?” he confessed.

 

“Wow, really?” asked Jill. She was cleaning Leonard’s face with a wet towel.

 

“Yeah, it was kinda awkward,” he said.

 

“Well, you guys didn’t part ways in good terms,” said Charlie.

 

“Yeah, it was a mess,” Dean wasn’t sure if he was talking about his breakup with her or his interaction with her earlier that day.

 

“Mom, I wanna go to the bathroom,” said Tegan.

 

“Oh, guys can you keep an eye on the twins while I take her?” asked Jill.

 

“Yeah, don’t worry,” said Charlie. She grabbed Leonard and Jill stood up and walked with Tegan towards the bathrooms.

 

“Okay… you’re hiding something,” she said when she was sure that Jill and Tegan weren’t at a hearing distance.

 

“Dude… I’m so screwed,” said Dean closing his eyes.

 

“What happened? You’re scaring me,” said Charlie,

 

“Red, she has a kid, he’s almost 6, he has brownish hair and is obsessed with AC/DC; he loves pie and… she’s a single mom…” he said.

 

“Crap! Dean… do you think?” she finally understood why Dean was acting so weird.

 

“Like I don’t know… 80% sure,” he answered.

 

“Shit. Did you ask?”

 

“She flipped; everything was cool until I asked, she went full on mamma bear and she said that he didn’t have a dad, that he doesn’t need one and that I should go back to my perfect life with my perfect wife… she said she was glad that I was cured and that I had finally found a woman that helped me forget Cas,”

 

“What? Didn’t you tell her?” asked Charlie,

 

“Okay… I should tell you exactly what happened first; I don’t know if we have a lot of time, I don’t want to tell Jill and I definitely don’t want Tegan to hear,” said Dean.

 

“Well then hurry up and start talking!” said Charlie. Dean told her everything and she tried to calm him while also trying to contain her urge to yell a few selected words for Lisa,

 

“You do have the right to know,” she said.

 

“Cas is going to freak out, he’s going to fucking leave me,” said Dean.

 

“You don’t know that,” she said.

 

“I’ll tell him tonight,” said Dean, “just promise me something,”

 

“What?” asked Charlie.

 

“If things get ugly you’ll go to our place and be there for him,” he said.

 

“Oh, man…” she took his hand and started to mentally prepare for what was coming.

* * *

 

“Dinner was amazing you guys,” said Jill.

 

“Thanks,” said Gabe, “always a pleasure to feed our family,”

 

“Mommy I’m tired,” said Tegan yawning.

 

“Well… say goodnight and then you can go upstairs,” said Jill. Tegan stood up and gave goodnight hugs and kisses to everyone.

 

“Sleep well Tegs,” said Dean placing a soft kiss on her head. He felt like a dead man walking. _What if this was the last time he got to see Cas’s family?_

“Good night uncle Dean, thanks for taking us to the park today,” she said.

 

“Go brush your teeth, I’ll be upstairs in a minute,” said Jill.

 

“Yes mom,” said Tegan.

 

“Well guys, I’m gonna call it a night too… I’ll have a lot to do tomorrow, a lot of planning and talking with my husband,” she said with a smile. She hugged everyone and then she headed upstairs too.

 

“We should go,” said Charlie with a fake yawn.

 

“Right… work tomorrow,” said Dean.

 

“You’re right, we should go,” said Cas.

 

After 5 minutes of goodbye hugs and thanking Gabriel and Cas again for the food, they said goodbye to Gabe and Chuck and then climbed into their cars.

 

While Cas was distracted putting on his seatbelt Dean directed his attention to Charlie who looked at him from her car and mouthed a ‘good luck’.

 

* * *

 

 

“You’re oddly quiet tonight,” said Cas on their way back home.

 

“Cas, I need to tell you something,” said Dean.

 

“Is it something bad? What happened?” asked Cas worried.

 

“We should wait until we’re in the house… this is kind of a delicate subject,” said Dean.

 

“You’re scaring me,” said Cas. Dean put the car in the garage and they walked straight to the kitchen after that. Dean grabbed a bottle of water and then took Cas by the hand. He was really scared.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“Our room,” said Dean. Once they were there Dean closed the door behind them and sat on the bed. Cas sat next to him, scratching his hand.

 

“Don’t do that,” said Dean. He held Cas’s hand and kissed it.

 

“Then stop acting so mysterious and tell me already what’s going on?” asked Cas.

 

“I love you,” said Dean.

 

“I love you too,” said Cas. Dean smiled with sadness; he didn’t let go of Cas’s hand.

 

“I saw Lisa at the park today,” he confessed.

 

“Did she talk to you?” asked Cas a little surprised.

 

“Yeah, it was pretty awkward. She hasn’t been in Sioux Falls for a while so she didn’t know anything about my life,” admitted Dean.

 

“Did you tell her about us?” asked Castiel.

 

“Yeah… she didn’t like that at all,” said Dean.

 

“Good,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Cas, what I’m about to tell you… I want you to know that I’m telling you this not only because you’re my husband but because you’re my best friend; I know it is kinda shitty and selfish from me to use that in the hopes that you won’t get that upset…” said Dean,

 

“Dean, you’re scaring me; what happened?” asked Cas with fear in his eyes. Why was Dean so nervous after seeing Lisa?

 

“She… she wasn’t alone Cas… she has a son, he’s called Ben and he’s 5… she’s a single mom,”

 

“Okay,” Cas didn’t understand what was going on… Lisa had been out of their lives for a little more than 6 years and… oh no… he pulled his hand away from Dean’s and stood up,

 

“Dean…” he whispered.

 

“I think he’s mine Cas,” Cas didn’t say a word, he just stared at the floor trying to understand what was going on.

 

“Babe, please,” Dean tried to reach for his husband but he gave a step back,

 

“Don’t touch me,” said Cas.

 

“Cas, please…” he was crying now.

 

“Cas, I’m so fucking sorry man,” said Dean. Cas raised his face and kept staring at Dean for what felt like an eternity.

 

“Dean…” he said finally with his husky voice.

 

“I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry and I … I know this is like the last thing you want to hear from your husband, and I know this sucks and I’m…. If you do the math… I’m just so fucking sorry, I wish I could go back in time and change things,” said Dean crying.

 

“Dean… shut up! Just shut up!” said Cas covering his ears, “I don’t want to hear your voice… it’s hurting me right now,” Dean nodded and if he thought he couldn’t cry any harder he discovered in that moment that he was wrong.

 

“Okay,” he whispered.

 

“Stop apologizing,” said Cas passing a hand through his hair, “you can’t change what happened and every time you say that you’re sorry and that you wish you could change things you’re saying that you’re sorry that a human being exists,”

 

“What?” Dean didn’t understand.

 

“That boy is alive, he exists, stop saying that you’re sorry for that, your actions aren’t his fault either,” said Cas.

 

“I don’t deserve you,” said Dean.

 

“Don’t get me wrong Dean… I’m saying that the kid is already here and you can’t change that, I’m saying that he exists and that if he is yours you need to take full responsibility for what you did… but I’m still hurt and I still don’t know what to do with all the emotions I’m experiencing right now. I just have one question,” said Cas.

 

“What is it?” asked Dean,

 

“Did you lie to me? When we started dating and you said that you’d never had unprotected sex, where you being honest?” asked Cas with sadness in his voice.

 

“Cas… I know I went trough a rough patch when you and I stopped talking all those years ago; you know that I decided to drown my problems in alcohol and parties and I was just being an idiot… but I was a responsible idiot, okay? I told you the truth but you know that even when using protection a pregnancy can happen. I don’t want the doubt consuming me the rest of my life… I mean, the last time I was with Lisa was at a party the last Saturday of February; Ben was born in November,” said Dean. Cas just nodded.

 

“Okay,” he whispered.

 

“What’s going to happen?” asked Dean. Cas sat down on the floor and started to take deep breaths and to rock backwards and forwards,

 

“You said you’re telling me this not only because we’re married but because we’re best friends… that’s not fair Dean; right now I can’t separate those two positions,” said Cas.

 

“What does that mean?” whispered Dean.

 

“I don’t want to see you right now Dean,” admitted Castiel.

 

“Cas… please don’t leave me,” whispered Dean.

 

“I think it would be better if I sleep in my studio tonight,”

 

“Cas…” he walked towards his husband.

 

“Don’t touch me!” yelled Cas, and just like the first time he said those words during their argument, Dean felt pain in his chest. Dean just stood there watching as Castiel tried to assimilate all the information.

 

“Sorry, I’m gonna stay here and give you your space and all the time you need to think about this… I just want to make sure that you’re fine; I’m sorry I’m causing you all this pain,” said Dean.

 

“You didn’t plan for this to happen, Dean. I know I should be comforting you right now and that there’s a big chance that your life is about to change… but so is mine; our lives are about to change and I need to get used to the idea,” said Cas standing up. He walked towards his dresser and grabbed a clean pair of pajama pants.

 

“I’m sorry,” whispered Dean. Cas just nodded and started crying in silence. “I love you,” said Dean. Castiel left the room as fast as he could.

 

* * *

 

Dean sat on his bed staring into the nothing. At some point he grabbed his phone and texted Charlie,

 

**He didn’t kick me out but he’s upset. He’s sleeping in his studio tonight. I’m so screwed Red. My life is a fucking cosmic joke.**

A minute later Charlie answered back,

 

**He just needs time to assimilate Dean. This isn’t your fault and you’re not even sure if the kid’s yours yet. I’ll call him in the morning.**

**Thanks Red. Good night.**

* * *

 

It turned out that Charlie wouldn’t have to wait until morning to talk to Cas. He was on his studio bed wearing only his pajama pants and looking at the stars and he didn’t know why but he grabbed his phone and dialed Charlie’s number; he didn’t even look at the hour.

 

After 3 dialing tones Charlie picked up,

 

“Talk to me,” she said.

 

“Charlie… Dean,” he started to cry out loud right in that moment. Charlie waited patiently on the other side of the line,

 

“Dean told me what happened Cas, how are you?” she asked after almost 3 minutes,

 

“I think I scared him, I told him that I didn’t want to see him or talk to him right now; I’m spending the night in my studio. I’m not… I don’t want to get divorced. I love him with all my heart but what if this is some kind of sign? He wants kids, you know that, and now there’s a chance that this kid…”

 

“Cas, you need to get over your insecurities… yes, he said he wanted kids but he also said that he only wanted to be happy with you; he said that if that means not having kids then he’s okay with it,” said Charlie.

 

“Am I being ridiculous?” he asked,

 

“Dude, you have all the right in the world to feel upset but like I said, don’t let your insecurities play with your head,”

 

“I don’t think I could explain why I was so upset, I just had to get out of the room… I had so much in my mind and I didn’t want to say anything hurtful,” said Cas.

“Cas, you’re gonna need to tell him; I know tonight you’re gonna use that beautiful brain of yours to separate every single aspect of this thing that’s bothering you,” said Charlie. Cas chuckled, she knew him so well, “but remember that after you calm down and figure out everything in your mind you’re gonna need to talk to Dean, he can’t read your mind dude, and he’s just as scared as you are,”

 

“I think what bothers me the most is that she was right… at the end she was right,” whispered Cas,

 

“What?”

 

“Remember when she convinced me to move out of the apartment? She said… she said that she could make Dean happy in a way that I would never be able to… a normal family, kids… she was right,” said Cas with sadness.

 

“Fuck,” whispered Charlie, “you’re upset because of that, not because of the kid,”

 

“The boy is just a victim of the circumstances… he hasn’t done anything to me, and he probably has part of Dean Winchester’s DNA, why would I hate him? I’m just upset with the universe, this is a mean joke,” he said.

 

“Funny… Dean said the same thing,” said Charlie.

 

“Really?” asked Cas with a chuckle.

 

“Dude, you have all the right in the world to feel like that… but c’mon, you know that she’s not going to steal him from you; having Dean’s kid doesn’t mean that she gets to have his love too,” said Charlie.

 

“I know, I’m just overreacting I guess,” said Cas… “And you know what? I’m such a hypocrite,” he added,

 

“Why?” she asked,

 

“I never told Dean the truth about Lisa… I never told him that she was the one who asked me to move out all those years ago. Here I am, upset with him for something that happened when we weren’t even dating but I’m not a saint… I’m keeping secrets from him,” he said.

 

“You need to tell him,” said Charlie.

 

“Yes… I do, and I need to fix everything… we need to talk about a lot of things… but I’m so tired right now,” he said.

 

“Get some sleep Cas, you can talk to him in the morning,” whispered Charlie.

 

“You’re probably right; I’ll talk to him tomorrow and we’re going to fix this; good night Charlie, thanks for being always there for me,”

 

“Call me if you need anything, I’ll have my phone next to me, good night Cas,” she ended the call and Cas placed his phone next to his glasses. He closed his eyes and within seconds he was sound asleep.

* * *

 

Dean was far from fine; he had so much in his mind and it was useless to try to sleep, his brain wouldn’t shut up. He was tired and his bed felt so cold without Castiel.

 

“What if Ben is mine?” he whispered. A weird feeling invaded his stomach and he had to sit up and take a deep breath. He felt so stupid; when the summer started all he wanted to do was to have a kid with Cas and things hadn’t gone as he wanted but he was cool with it; he had accepted that he would never have kids and he didn’t care because all he wanted was to have a happy life with Cas and Cas didn’t want kids; he could live with that. And now here he was, he got what he wanted, he had a son and the kid seemed pretty cool… but he was probably going to lose Castiel. _‘Be careful what you wish for,’_ he thought.

 

He kept trying to remember Ben’s face; did he look like him? He couldn’t even remember if the kid had green eyes. Lisa had said that Ben didn’t need a father but the boy seemed really happy when he talked about him; Maybe Lisa told him that the guy would come back someday… or maybe they had lived with the father for a while and then he left, maybe she was telling the truth and Ben was someone else’s.

 

He spent hours just thinking and creating theories in his mind about Ben and about his future with Cas. At some point he had ended up sitting on the floor just crying and hugging his keens; he didn’t know what to do, it felt like every possible answer to his situation had a bad consequence. If Ben was his, he would have a son and be there for him and support him but what about Cas? Would he stay by Dean’s side? Then there was the possibility of Ben actually not being his son. He didn’t know if he wanted him to be his or not; he was scared of letting himself feel excited about it; it was all too much.

* * *

 

_Cas was in the kitchen making dinner; Dean would be home soon. He heard footsteps walking towards him and he turned around with a smile waiting to see his husband._

_“What are you doing in my house? How did you get in?” asked Cas when he realized that it was actually Lisa who was in the kitchen with him._

 

_“We need to talk,” she said while dragging a chair. Cas didn’t know why but he sat down in the chair and just stared at her._

_“Okay,” he said. His surroundings suddenly changed; they weren’t in the big kitchen anymore, they were in the living room of their old apartment. Cas was sitting on a beanbag chair and Lisa was sitting on the couch in front of him. “This looks oddly familiar,” he whispered,_

_“Okay, I’m going to be direct… Cas, I’ve been dating Dean since September, I really feel like our relationship could go somewhere but I also feel like he’s taking things a little slow because he has to worry about you all the time,” said Lisa._

_“What are you talking about; Dean is my husband you’ve been out of our lives for years,” said Cas._

_“I’m gonna put this in a way that even you can understand,” said Lisa._

_“Don’t talk to me like that, I’m not stupid!” he answered._

_“Are you sure? You didn’t seem to get it the first time I talked to you about this Castiel, do I need to refresh your memory?” she asked,_

_“What?” he asked,_

_“You will never make him happy the way I can, I can give him a family, a normal happy life, kids… what do you have to offer to him?”_

_“Oh my god, this is a dream… you’re not here, this isn’t real. I want to wake up!” he yelled._

_“This is your life Castiel, this isn’t a nightmare. I have a son with him and I’m going to have to ask you to move out of this apartment,” she answered._

_“Shut up!” yelled Cas standing up. “I was so stupid the first time I listened to you when you suggested that; you almost ruined my friendship with Dean… this time I’m going to stay!”_

He opened his eyes and it took him a few seconds to remember when he was. He looked at his surroundings trying to calm himself; he was sweating and breathing fast. Eventually he managed to calm down.

 

The dream had felt so real, and in a way it had been. It was a weird fragment of that conversation he’d had with Lisa all those times ago. He was a different person now; sure he still had a lot of insecurities and issues but he had Dean and he was going to fight for their marriage. Charlie was right; Having Dean’s son didn’t mean she had his heart too.

 

“Dean is with me now; he loves me and I love him…. And sometimes loving someone means that you have to give up what makes you feel comfortable or happy in order to help your loved one,” he said to himself. He was sure he wasn’t going to be able to go back to sleep. He got out of bed, put on his glasses and without hesitation he walked out of the room.

* * *

 

Dean was surprised to hear a knock on the door. He was still sitting on the floor and when he lifted his face he saw the door being opened and even though the tears made his sigh blurry he still could see his husband’s messy hair when Cas opened the door and the light of the hallway illuminated him a little.

 

“Dean, are you awake? I had a weird dream,” whispered Cas directing his attention to the bed. Dean chuckled and Cas noticed that he was sitting on the floor leaning against the bed.

 

“The bed wasn’t the same without you,” said Dean. Cas walked into the room and sat next to his husband.

 

“Come here,” he whispered. He pulled Dean towards him; Dean was caught by surprise with the action but he decided to let Cas take control of the situation and he just rested his head on Cas’s shoulder and hugged his husband. “Everything’s going to be alright Dean,” said Cas. It took Dean a couple of minutes to say something,

 

“I couldn’t sleep,” he admitted, “I keep making up this possible scenarios in my head… I’m scared Cas,”

 

“Let’s get you to bed, okay?” asked Cas standing up and stretching his arm to help Dean to stand up.

 

“What are you doing?” asked Dean taking his husband hand.

 

“I don’t think I can separate being your husband and your best friend; but I believe that’s a good thing because I guess that just means that I love you unconditionally apparently,” said Cas chuckling and walking Dean towards his side of the bed, “so this is me being your husband and your best friend,” he sat next to his husband on the bed.

 

“I love you so fucking much Cas,” said Dean.

 

“I love you too Dean. I’m sorry if I didn’t act the way you were expecting me to at first but it was a lot of information to take in,”

 

“Babe, to be honest I was expecting you to have a meltdown and to kick me out of the house,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“Good to know you have high expectations of me Winchester,” said Cas smiling. Cas got closer to his husband and hugged him.

 

“Sorry,” said Dean.

 

“I have to admit that this is a little overwhelming to me… so I can only imagine how is it for you. I just want you to know that I’m here for you Dean,”

 

“Thanks,” said Dean. They remained in silence for a while. It took Cas almost five minutes but at the end he finally found the courage to start talking,

 

“Dean, I think… we need to talk about Lisa,” declared Cas.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't kill me for this, Lisa and Ben have been in the tags since the beginning. I promise the drama won't last long (at least this drama).
> 
> I'll try to upload the next chapter soon, it's already finished. I'm going out of town but I'll be back by Tuesday (i'll probably update that day, promise).
> 
> Again, remember that english isn't my first language and that I don't have a beta so I apologize for any mistake. Have a nice day :)


	12. We need to talk about Lisa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas tell's Dean a secret from the past; they have an adult talk and Cas decides to be there for his husband.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for leaving you with a cliffhanger, but I'm back in town and here's the new chapter. More angst and drama but that's how life is sometimes. Thanks a lot for reading, I'll try to update this weekend (next chapter is angsty too!) .

 

“Dean, I think… we need to talk about Lisa,” declared Cas.

 

“I thought we were doing that,” answered Dean.

 

“I mean… I need to tell you something about her, a secret,”

 

“I’m not following, why would you have a secret with Lisa? You guys never got along when I was with her,” said Dean confused,

 

“Dean, at first I didn’t tell you because I was ashamed and I was hurt, then we stopped talking so it wasn’t relevant anymore, then you and I got together and I came out of the closet and our lives changed … I just never found the right time and eventually it became a bad memory and sometimes when I remembered it, I well, I would feel like I wanted to tell you but then I thought ‘it’s been 2 years Castiel? It doesn’t make any sense to bring back the past’ or ‘it’s been 3 years Cas, Dean would probably get upset if you tell him you’ve been keeping this a secret for so long’ or ‘it’s not worth it, she’s long gone and I’m with Dean now,’ I guess I just let my mind and my comfort decide that it would be better if I didn’t say anything,” explained Cas.

 

“Man, I still don’t know what you’re talking about and now I’m kinda freaking out,” said Dean with a worried voice.

 

“Dean, when I told you I wanted to move out of the apartment, you know? When we were still roommates and you and Lisa were dating… I didn’t take that decision on my own, I can’t say that I wasn’t part of it because at the end I accepted it but… what I’m trying to say is that Lisa suggested that it would be the best for all of us if I left the apartment, she was the one who had the idea and I was so scared and stupid that I let her convince me,” confessed Cas,

 

“What?” asked Dean,

 

“She came to the apartment, you were working late that day and she came to talk to me. She basically said that you saw me as a burden, as a child that you had to take care of and that she felt like that responsibility that you had taken was making you take it slow with your relationship with her. She felt like I was holding you back because you were worried that I couldn’t make it on my own,”

 

“What the... Cas, that’s not true man, I never saw you in that way. I can’t believe this,” Dean was trying to keep his voice down.

 

“At the moment I didn’t know you had feelings for me Dean; she didn’t convince me right away though, at first I told her that her insecurities weren’t my problem and that I wasn’t going to leave the comfort of my home because she had issues,” said Cas,

 

“But you still left,” said Dean.

 

“She wasn’t taking a no for an answer, she was prepared and she hit me with what for me, at that time, was like the most delicate subject and what made me feel more vulnerable… she told me she knew I had feelings for you and I froze; I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t hide it of course; she knew she was right and she knew exactly what words to use and how to use them. In that moment I felt like the only viable way was to move out of the apartment,” Castiel was glad the lights were off so he couldn’t see Dean’s reaction to his words,

 

“What the hell did she say to you?”

 

“Please don’t get upset, it’s not important anymore. We’re together now,” answered Cas.

 

“Yeah, well… I still want to know,”

 

“Do you want me to tell you literally what she said or like just what she wanted?” asked Cas.

 

“Jesus, you can remember it literally word by word?” Cas just nodded even though he knew Dean probably couldn’t see him, “this is big Cas, you can filter anything that you think it’s not important, if you still remember it literally then it meant something… what the hell did she say?”

 

“Well, after I told her that I wasn’t moving out of the apartment because she saw me as a threat she said ‘Oh Cas, I don’t see you as a threat, I’m not telling you to stop being friends with him, I’m telling you to stand aside, and let him be happy with me, we both know that you won’t do anything about your feelings, I don’t know why but if you wanted to do something you would have told him a long time ago’ and in that moment I knew I had lost, it’s stupid I know, but it was my biggest secret and my biggest fear,” Cas eyes started to feel teary; he took off his glasses and placed them on his bedside table.

 

“That’s so screwed up man, I’m so sorry she put you in that position,” This time it was Dean’s turn to hug his husband,

 

“That wasn’t even the worst part Dean, she knew I would leave because I love you and all I want is for you to be happy but still, she said it… she wanted to ‘put it in a way that even you can understand’, were the words she used. She never lost the smile on her face, she just said ‘think about this, you will never make him happy the way I can, I can give him a family, a normal happy life, kids… what do you have to offer to him?’ and that’s when I accepted to move out. And when you told me about the boy those words resonated in my head Dean,” Cas was crying at this point.

 

“Cas, I’m so fucking sorry… I swear I had no idea she was like that when I met her, that’s pure evil man. And I know it sucks, I wish I could’ve been there for your in those moments, I feel horrible because I left; you had to deal with all that shit on your own,”

 

“It doesn’t matter anymore Dean, at the end it made me grow up, she was right in some things, you and I couldn’t see ourselves in a future without each other and it wasn’t normal because we weren’t a couple. She asked me if she was going to have to wait until I died so you could finally marry her,”

 

“What the actual fuck? Cas why didn’t you tell me?”

 

“What was I going to say Dean? ‘Your girlfriend bullied me until I agreed to move out of the apartment? Oh by the way I’m secretly gay and madly in love with you so I’m going to leave because I’m afraid she will tell you the truth besides I have a lot of issues and she can give you a normal happy life’ yeah, that sounds like an excellent speech,” said Cas.

 

“Crap,”

 

“Indeed,”

 

“She said all that shit and now I probably have a child with her and … babe she wasn’t right on that, okay? Maybe she was right when she said that we had a weird codependent shit going on but I’m not starting a new life with her just because of Ben. You make me happy, I have a perfect normal life with you and you’re my family, you’re my everything Cas,” Dean pressed small kisses on Cas’s neck and shoulder.

 

“I know that, but deep inside my brain I can’t help but think that maybe she was right Dean, you want kids,”

 

“Cas, I thought that subject was closed,” said Dean.

 

“I thought so too but that was before your ex returned to our lives with your possible son,”

 

“Okay, lets say that Ben is my son, he doesn’t even live in Sioux Falls, they live in Cicero, Indiana; that’s like half a day driving from here which means that I wouldn’t get to see him every day, not even every weekend; probably once a month or during holidays and that’s it. I mean, if he’s my son I’m going to love him and look after him but I’m aware that his place is next to his mother and I’m going to understand if you don’t want to be part of his life,” said Dean. Cas sat up and turned on his lamp so he could see Dean’s face without a problem.

 

“Dean, I would never do that to you, if Ben is your son then I want to be there for you and for him; he hasn’t done anything bad to me, he’s just a kid and he deserves to have a happy life,” said Cas looking at his husband in the eye.  

 

“Thanks Cas, I know this isn’t easy for you,” whispered Dean.

 

“I’m tired,” said Cas.

 

“It’s 3:35 am and we’ve had a pretty stressful day,” said Dean. Cas nodded and turned off his lamp.

 

“I think we should skip work and we should go and try to talk to her,” said Cas resting his head against his husband’s shoulder.

 

“Don’t you think it is kinda rushed?” asked Dean.

 

“Dean, is she going to be in Sioux Falls for a long time?” asked Cas.

 

“No, just a few days; her folks are moving to Florida,” answered Dean.

 

“So we need to talk to her before she leaves,”

 

“Crap, you’re right,” said Dean in realization.

 

“So that’s it, we’re skipping work and we’re getting an extra hour of sleep, then we can have breakfast and go to her house,” said Cas.

 

“I’m scared,” whispered Dean while playing with his husband’s messy hair.

 

“I know, but I’m going to be there for you, okay?” said Cas.

 

“Are you still upset?” asked Dean.

 

“I don’t know… I feel a lot of things right now, I need to sleep,” answered Cas between yawns.

 

“Can you stay please? I need you,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” answered Cas.

 

They took their usual position in bed (Dean holding Cas).

 

“Cas, you didn’t tell me what were you dreaming about? You said you had a weird dream,” said Dean. Cas didn’t answer, “Babe, are you awake?” Cas was snoring lightly. Dean placed a kiss on the back of his neck and after 2 minutes he was sound asleep too.

* * *

 

 

August 16th

 

“It’s been a while since the last time I was here,” said Dean while parking his beloved car outside the Braeden’s house.

 

“Everything’s going to be fine Dean,” said Cas. He had never been to that place and he wasn’t sure what to expect. How would Lisa react to his presence?

 

They walked towards the front door, which was wide open; the front yard was filled with boxes and furniture; apparently the moving was taking place that day. A man who looked at least 10 years older than Bobby walked out of the house carrying a big box.

 

“Mr. Braeden,” said Dean.

 

“Dean Winchester! It’s been a while son,” said the man placing the box on the floor and greeting Dean with a big smile.

 

“Yeah, I heard you’ve been traveling a lot lately,” answered Dean.

 

“Well, what can I say? Retirement is the best thing that could’ve happened to me; the kids all moved out and they have their lives so my wife and I are doing the same, living our lives,” Dean had always liked the guy, he was honest and relaxed though he had his temperament but most of the time Dean had seen him in a good mood.

 

“Umm… this is Cas,” said Dean.

 

“You seem familiar,” said Mr. Braeden when he shook Cas’s hand.

 

“I’ve lived in Sioux Falls my whole life, we must have crossed paths at some point,” answered Cas politely.

 

“Yeah, this old brain isn’t what it used to… but yeah, you seem familiar,” said the old man, “so, what can I do for you?”

 

“I wanted to talk to Lisa, is she around?” asked Dean trying to sound casual.

 

“She went to get more boxes, we keep finding things in the attic; I swear just thinking about unpacking this stuff makes me reconsider the whole moving to Florida thing,” said Mr. Braeden, “she left like 15 minutes ago, she’ll probably be back soon,”

 

“Do you mind if we wait for her?” asked Dean; he was surprised that Mr. Braeden was acting so cool and talking to him as if nothing had changed. Right in that moment Ben came running out of the house with a huge grin on his face and a box in his hands.

 

“Grandpa! Look what I found, more toys!” said Ben showing the box to his grand father.

 

“Oh no son, those aren’t toys; that’s my old collection of cars and planes,” said Mr. Braeden,

 

“Can I keep them?” asked Ben.

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea Ben, if any of your uncles find out that I gave you my beloved collection they’re gonna be pissed,” answered Mr. Braeden.

 

“But they’re old… they’re like 30, they don’t need toys anymore,” complaint Ben.

 

“Wow, 30 is not old kiddo,” said Dean a little hurt. Cas was too busy trying to find a resemblance between his husband and the boy, to notice that he had been called old.

 

“Sorry… you’re the guy from the park, my mom’s friend!” said Ben when he looked at Dean.

 

“Dean, and this is Cas,” answered Dean trying not to stare at the kid.

 

“Hi,” said Ben.

 

“Anyway guys, you can wait for Lisa if you want, I would offer you to come inside but all our furniture is already outside so, you can sit on the couch,” said Mr. Braeden pointing at a couch next to Castiel. Dean and Cas followed the instructions while they saw the interaction between the old man and his grandson,

 

“Grandpa, c’mon; this toys are so cool,” he insisted.

 

“Benjamin, I said no, I’m not dying I’m just moving to another house, Jesus what is it whit everyone trying to ask me for my stuff?” he took the box from Ben.

 

“Can I have them when you die?” asked Ben. Cas snorted.

 

“What about your cousins?” asked Mr. Braeden,

 

“All my cousins are girls grandpa, they don’t play with cars or planes, they play with dolls,” said Ben rolling his eyes. Dean looked at Cas; this was definitely Lisa’s son.

 

“For the last time, these aren’t toys; now I’m gonna put this box in a safe place before any of my sons or you end up taking them,” he was about to walk into the house when he remembered Dean and Cas were there, “sorry about that guys, I’ll go put this inside and bring you some coffee; Ben, don’t bother these gentlemen, okay?” he turned around and walked into the house.

 

“He doesn’t let me have fun, I can’t wait to go home,” said Ben while kicking a rock.

 

“He’s not that bad, he’s a really cool guy,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, but he’s really grumpy; Grandma says he’s not really himself until he’s had 3 cups of coffee in the morning,” said Ben with a shrug.

 

“Cas is like that, except it has to be tea; he won’t talk to anyone before his morning tea,” said Dean. Cas smiled and nodded; he didn’t know what to say to the kid.

 

“So… Ben, you like cars and planes then?” asked Dean. He had planned what he wanted to talk with Lisa but he didn’t plan a scenario where he would have the opportunity to be just with Ben.

 

“I have a small city back home, I made it with Legos and cereal boxes; I wanted to put grandpa’s toys in my city,” answered Ben.

 

“That sounds pretty cool, maybe one day he’ll let you have them,” answered Dean.

 

“Whatever,” Ben just stood there in front of them.

 

“We have a 3 legged dog,” was the first thing that came out of Cas’s mouth, he didn’t even know why, he just wanted to show Dean that he could interact with the kid too.

 

“Really?” asked Ben surprised.

 

“Yes, he’s called Nikola Tesla and he was born without his right back leg, but he’s totally healthy,” answered Cas.

 

“And fat and annoying,” said Dean with a chuckle.

 

“Do you have pictures?” asked Ben getting closer to them. Cas grabbed his phone and showed Ben a picture of Nik sleeping next to Dean at the beach.

 

“Wow, awesome!” Said the boy when he saw Nik’s picture. In that moment Cas looked at Dean in surprise, where ‘words’ transmitted through DNA?

 

“Do you have pets?” asked Dean.

 

“No, mom says I can get a puppy when I turn 6,” said Ben.

 

“Dogs are great,” said Dean.

 

“Sorry guys, I had to look in the boxes to find the freaking mugs,” said Mr. Braeden walking out of the house with a tray.

 

“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” said Cas.

 

“Not a problem, I needed another cup of coffee anyway,” he handed them the tray and grabbed a cup for himself, “Ben, go help your grandma in the attic,”

 

“Okay, goodbye your dog is pretty cool,” he waved at Dean and Cas and then ran to the house.

 

“Bye Ben,” said Dean wishing for more time with the kid.

 

“I’m sorry about that,” said Mr. Braeden,

 

“What? Ben?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah, I mean, after what happened with my Lisa I imagine that it must be hard for you to look at Ben. He’s a good boy you know? It’s not his fault,” explained Mr. Braeden,

 

“What do you mean?” said Dean confused.

 

“Well, I gotta say we always thought you would marry Lisa; when she told us that she had broken up with you we really thought that you guys would fix things but then she got that job in Indiana and she started dating that guy… and like a month later she told us she was pregnant with Ben… and boy I almost drove to your house when she told us, I thought the baby was yours but then she said that you weren’t the dad,” Dean always hated to talk with Mr. Braeden when he was dating Lisa because he would always tell him every single detail of a story but this time he was grateful for the man’s ability to over share,

 

“Oh, right; well Ben seems like a cool kid and whatever happened with Lisa is in the past, I’m glad she’s happy now,” answered Dean.

 

“She’s happy yeah, but she’s a single mom Dean; don’t get me wrong but sometimes I wish she hadn’t met that mysterious guy and that she had fixed things with you… you would’ve been a great husband but I can’t change the past. I wish I could, God knows being a single mom isn’t what I wanted for my only daughter,” said Mr. Braeden after gulping his coffee.

 

“Mysterious guy,” said Dean.

 

“Well, we never met him; when we went to visit her she already had this little belly and she looked beautiful, we were waiting to meet Ben’s father, I was going to talk to him; I wanted them to be married of course, but he was already out of the picture. She didn’t want to talk about it so we dropped the subject, I’m not even sure I’ve ever heard the guy’s name.”

 

To Cas it all sounded like a big lie; Lisa had lied about how her relationship with Dean ended and the rest of the story also sounded like a bunch of made up stuff; she probably had told that story to her parents instead of telling them the truth about Dean… after all they were pretty conservative; Lisa might have decided that it would be easier to erase Ben’s father from the picture than explaining to her parents that Dean was bi and they had ended their relationship because he was in love with another man. He didn’t say anything but Dean was tense next to him, he probably was thinking the same thing as Cas.

 

“Well, sometimes our life works different from what we planned originally,” answered Dean robotically.

 

“Yeah, the Lord’s ways are mysterious,” answered Mr. Braeden, “but who knows, right? Are you still single? You can always fix things with Lisa,” he said trying to sound like he was joking. Dean smiled and raised his left hand,

 

“Sorry, happily married. I’m surprised you didn’t know; this town isn’t that big and news travel really fast,” answered Dean,

 

“That’s the only thing I won’t miss about traveling all the time; I lost contact with my friends and neighbors… I used to know everything about the people in this town and now I feel like I don’t know anyone,”

 

“Well, you can make new friends in Florida and learn everything about them,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Yeah,” answered Mr. Braeden with a smirk.

 

A minivan parked outside the house and a few seconds later they saw Lisa getting out of it, “Dean, Castiel… what are you doing here?” she had lost the smile on her face as soon as she saw them,

 

“Lisa, we just came to say hi but since you weren’t home we were talking to your dad… apparently he’s missed a lot of the stuff that happened around here while he was gone; he didn’t even know that I’m married, can you believe it?” asked Dean with fake enthusiasm in his voice.

 

“Dad, you shouldn’t go around asking people about their personal life,” said Lisa.

 

“I just wanted to make conversation, Jesus,” said the old man.

 

“I know dad,” she didn’t know what to say to make her father go inside the house; she loved the guy but he could be nosy and he definitely looked like he was happy asking about Dean and Cas’s life; she was pretty sure though, that he didn’t know that they were married, the guy would’ve thrown a gallon of holly water on their faces if he knew.

 

“Anyway, how long have you been married?” asked Mr. Braeden,

 

“Dad, they came to talk to me… why don’t you help me taking upstairs the boxes I brought while I talk to them,” she said looking nervous.

 

“I was having a conversation with them, dear,” said Mr. Braeden; he was clearly very comfortable and he wasn’t ready to go back to packing.

 

“Dad, the moving van will be here at 2 and we’re not finished yet,” she insisted.

 

“ Do you have kids Dean?” asked Mr. Braeden,

 

“No sir,”

 

“Good… let me tell you something, at some point your kids become adults and start treating you like a child, it is annoying,” he stood up,

 

“Dad,” said Lisa rolling her eyes,

 

“No, no… I get it; I’m going to get those boxes inside. Goodbye guys, it was nice talking to you,” he turned around and walked towards the minivan; Dean wasn’t sure but he could swear he heard the man saying something that sounded like “it’s my freaking house and they think they can tell me what to do.”

 

Lisa took a sit in front of them with a fake smile on her face; she waited until her father was inside the house.

 

“What do you want?” she asked clearly upset.

 

“You told your dad that you broke up with me,” said Dean.

 

“So what? Are you upset because I made you look like the better person?”

 

“No; I was surprised to hear what your father thinks that happened after we broke up, to be honest it sounded like a lot of bullshit to me,” he said.

 

“Dean,” whispered Cas.

 

“I really don’t care what you think Dean. I just thought it would be easier to say that I ended it and that I didn’t want to talk about the subject anymore than to tell him that you like men and that you were in love with one while we were dating,” she explained.

 

“You’re so considerate,” said Dean.

 

“Is that all? Because I’ve got stuff to do,” she said.

 

“Lisa, am I Ben’s dad?” asked Dean when he saw that Lisa was about to stand up.

 

“Dean, I already told you; he doesn’t have a dad and he doesn’t need one,” she said.

 

“I have the right to know,” he said trying really hard not to raise his voice.

 

“No you don’t; the only one that has rights over that kid is me,” she said.

 

“I’m not trying to take him away from you, I want to help Lisa; if he’s mine I want to be a responsible father and help you guys. And of course if he’s mine I want him to know and I want to see him sometimes and be there for him,”

 

“Dean, things are perfectly fine the way they are. You should just forget about us and go back to your life,” she was avoiding eye contact with the guys; she just kept looking at her hands.

 

“I can’t Lisa, I can’t go back to my life knowing that there’s a kid out there that’s probably mine and that he might need my help,” answered Dean sounding desperate.

 

“He doesn’t need anything from you Dean. If you want a kid so bad you should have one with Castiel… oh right, I forgot you can’t,” she finally made eye contact with Dean.

 

“There are ways for us to have kids if we want Lisa; we could adopt or get a surrogate but that’s not the point; thanks for your concern though,” said Cas with his husky voice.

 

“Wow Castiel, you finally grew a pair,” she said with a smirk.

 

“Don’t change the subject Lisa; Please answer Dean’s question,” answered Cas.

 

“I have nothing else to say,” she said crossing her arms.

 

“Well in that case; you can expect a call from our lawyer,” answered Cas. Dean was surprised to see Cas talking like that to Lisa.

 

“What?” she asked,

 

“We’re taking legal action of course. An order for a paternity test won’t be difficult to obtain if Dean tells a judge that he wants to be part of the kid’s life and help him financially,” explained Cas in a calm voice. Lisa didn’t answer; she just sat there looking at Dean and Cas with doubt in her eyes.

 

“So how’s it gonna be Lisa? I don’t want any trouble. I just want to know the truth,” said Dean.

 

“I don’t know,” she finally said.

 

“You don’t know what?” asked Dean.

 

“I don’t know if you’re the freaking father, okay? Happy?” she yelled the last part.

 

“Okay,” said Dean in shock.

 

“Sorry about that,” she took a deep breath and turned her head to the house to see if her parents or Ben had showed up to see what was going on. No one came out the house so she relaxed a little,

 

“What do you mean you don’t know? Were you cheating on me when we were together?” asked Dean.

 

“No Dean, unlike you, I really cared about you and our relationship when we were together,” she said defensively.

 

“Hey, I cared about or relationship; I never cheated on you and I was a good boyfriend,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, but you were in love with him,” she said pointing at Cas.

 

“I’m sorry okay? I really tried, I liked you and we had a great time but well, I couldn’t stop loving him,” said Dean,

 

“That’s in the past Dean,” she said.

 

“So what do you mean when you say that you don’t know who is the father, then?”

 

“Do we really have to talk about this now? My parents and my kid are inside you know?” she said lowering her voice this time.

 

“Lisa, you’re leaving today for what I can see… we really need to talk about this now,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, I met a guy; the day we broke up I went to a party with some of my friends and I got really wasted and started talking to a guy. I have a type you know? He was tall, had green eyes and loved classic rock, or at least I think he did; I don’t remember a lot to be honest, just that he was wearing an AC/DC shirt and that I called him Dean a couple of times,” she explained.

“You slept with him?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah, it was stupid, I know but I was upset and hurt… and drunk, so yeah I slept with him and I felt bad the next morning, I was still hopping that you would try to fix things between us but after a couple of weeks I realized that it wasn’t going to happen and then a friend offered me a job at her aunt’s spa in Cicero and I left because I needed to stay away from you,” her voice broke at that point, “I realize now Dean that I acted like a child back then, I was stupid and I’m sorry, okay? But in that moment I couldn’t see it so I left because I was upset, I hated you and I needed a fresh start,”

 

“I’m sorry Lisa, we both did and said stupid things,” said Dean.

 

“I had been in Cicero for over a month when I started to panic… at first when I didn’t get my period I thought it was because of the stress and moving to a new place and all that stuff… but deep down I knew that it was something else,” she said trying to hold back her tears.

 

“Why didn’t you call me?” asked Dean passing a hand through his hair,

 

“I was upset, I hated you in that moment and then there was the fact that I had slept with another guy, what if the baby wasn’t yours? What was I going to say to my parents? It was too much Dean. So I called them and I told them that I was dating someone, I told them about this incredible guy I met when I moved to Cicero and a couple of weeks later I told them I was pregnant and that we were pretty happy about it. Dad was really pissed, he thought it was yours at first and he wanted to kill you but I told him that my new boyfriend was the dad, that I was 100% sure about it. They didn’t speak to me for a few weeks, it took them a while to accept it and when they finally decided to visit me I was already showing,” she explained,

 

“And what happened when they finally saw you? There was no fabulous boyfriend around,” asked Dean,

 

“I told them that I had decided to have the baby on my own because my boyfriend didn’t want to be a dad and he had asked me to have an abortion. You know they’re conservative, they weren’t happy about me having a baby without being married but when they heard the word abortion of course they supported me and said that God had sent me the baby and that I had to have it… so I did; they wanted me to come back to Sioux Falls but I couldn’t; I didn’t want anyone to see me like that, I was ashamed to be honest. I think they were ashamed too, after that visit they decided to start traveling around the country; I guess they were trying to scape reality. They visited me like four times a year but our relationship was never the same… like you saw today, my father doesn’t see me like his little princess anymore. All because of a stupid mistake I made 6 years ago,” she said,

 

“Ben is not a mistake,” said Dean upset.

 

“No, he’s not… he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. But dating you and sleeping with that guy, those were huge mistakes,” she answered.

 

“Lisa, I’m sorry for everything that happened; you were mean to me and thanks to you I experimented the worst days of my life… I have to admit that I spent a lot of time hating you but also, at the end, thanks to you I finally mustered the courage to come out of the closet and start a relationship with Dean. I’m sorry that life wasn’t easy for you after you left,” said Cas.

 

“I think I needed that to learn how to be a better person; Ben has been my teacher,” she said with a sad smile.

 

“He’s a great kid, I really would love to get to know him more,” said Dean.

 

“We don’t know if he’s your son Dean,” she said.

 

“There’s a big chance he is,” he answered.

 

“There’s a big chance he isn’t,” she replied.

 

“There’s a really easy way to figure it out, just a sample of his DNA and we’ll know for sure,” said Cas.

 

“I don’t know,” she said biting her lower lip.

 

“Lisa, please,” whispered Dean.

 

“I just… this is a lot Dean, really. If it turns out that he’s yours what? We’re not moving back to Sioux Falls; that would be too much drama. You’re not taking him, and how am I going to explain to him what happened? How am I going to explain to him and to my family that mi ex boyfriend also likes men and that he’s married to one now. I don’t want my boy to be bullied at school because he has two dads. I have to consider a lot of things,” she said.

 

“I don’t want to take him away from you. I understand that his place is next to his mother I would never try to change that. But if he is mine we both have the right to know; I want to be there for him, I want to help him and support him and take him to baseball games. I want to Skype with him on the weekends and I want to take him on vacations when he’s not in school… hell, you can join us if you want, your parents can join us if they want. All I want is to be part of his life and if I’m his dad then I don’t want to miss another second of being a dad Lisa,” Dean was crying now.

 

“What if he’s not yours?” she asked,

 

“Then at least we’ll know. You go back to your life and I go back to mine. You’ll finally know who’s Ben’s father and I’ll know for sure if I am a father,” answered Dean.

 

“Do you want to be a father Dean?” she asked.

 

“That’s a tricky question,” he said with a chuckle,

 

“Why?” she asked.

 

“Well… let’s just say that if I am a father I want to be a responsible one and be the best father I can be for my child. If it turns out that I’m not a father then all I want is to be happy with my husband and I won’t try to become a father. If I am Ben’s dad then it was my destiny but if I’m not, then it was my destiny,” answered Dean,

 

“What?” asked Lisa,

 

“I don’t want kids Lisa,” said Cas, “don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think I’m father material. Dean and I talked and we agreed that we wouldn’t have kids. Is not like any of us can get pregnant anyway,” explained Cas, “but what Dean is trying to say is that he did want to have kids so if Ben is his then he’s going to be really happy about it and I’m going to be there for him. If Ben is not his then we’ll go on with our lives and with our plans of not having kids,”

 

“See? Your lives would change too. Maybe we should leave things the way they are,”

 

“I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. I spent the whole night crying, I swear. All I want is to be sure, it doesn’t matter the answer. The question is the one that’s killing me.” Said Dean. Cas took his hand; he wanted to hug him and kiss him but he knew that Lisa wasn’t very accepting of that and he didn’t want to upset her when Dean’s sanity was basically in her hands.

 

“Lets say I agree, how are we doing this? We’re going back to Cicero tomorrow; I need to finish helping my parents packing today because my brothers agreed to drive them all the way to Florida but I had to take care of all the moving and packing in exchange. This needs to be done today, they’re leaving first thing in the morning, oh and the timing sucks, I don’t want my family to know about this whole DNA thing and they’re gonna be around all day,” she said.

 

“You can give us a sample of Ben’s DNA and we can take it to the lab. Well tell them to e-mail you the results and we’ll open them together via Skype,” answered Cas immediately.

 

“Like what? Hair? His toothbrush?” she asked,

 

“I think they can work with that,” said Cas nodding.

 

“I’m… I’m not sure guys. Do I have to decide right now?” she asked.

 

“You just said that you’re leaving tomorrow morning,” said Dean a little impatient.

 

“No, my parents are leaving tomorrow morning; I still need to stick around to pick up some papers and to give the keys of the house to the new owners. Our plane leaves tomorrow at 8 pm,” she said.

 

“So, you wanna wait till tomorrow?” asked Dean,

 

“We can do it today Lisa, really. All we need is a sample as we said,” added Cas.

 

“No, if we’re doing this I want to be there; we’re doing it tomorrow,” she said.

 

“What? You think we’re gonna trick you or something? I already told you, I’m not trying to take him from you,” said Dean upset.

 

“Well sometimes you say one thing and then do the exact opposite in secret,” she said standing up.

 

“I thought you were over it,” whispered Dean.

 

“Oh, I’m over it but this is a delicate matter Dean. If we’re doing this it’s under my conditions. I want to be there and I want to be involved in the whole process,” she said. Dean wanted to fight and to yell at her for treating him like he was a liar. But she had a point, he had lied to her in the past; and even if he hadn’t, he needed her to feel secure and comfortable with the situation and he knew the only way was to let her feel in control.

 

“Fine, tomorrow then,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, tomorrow,” she said feeling like she had won the argument.

 

“At what time”? Asked Cas.

 

“I don’t know, the new owner is coming to get the keys at 12:15, any time after that would be fine, I’ll call you,”

 

“What if you don’t?” asked Dean.

 

“So what, now you don’t trust me?” she asked rolling her eyes.

 

“I guess I don’t,” he said.

 

“Then maybe you should stay away from me; this is your last chance I don’t even know why you want to be part of my son’s life if you hate me…”

 

“Jesus how did this happen?” asked Cas covering his ears when he saw that Dean started to yell back at her.

 

“I don’t hate you but you said you didn’t trust us to take care of it without your presence then I have the right to say that I don’t trust you when you say you’ll call…. We’ll come pick you up, and that’s it,” he stood up as well.

 

“It always has to be your way,” she answered.

 

“Of course not, we’re doing this your way,” he replied crossing his arms.

 

“ I didn’t want to do it in the first place Dean; you should mind your freaking attitude if you want me to do this,” she answered. Dean knew he was being ridiculous but he suddenly felt like he needed to take everything out of his chest and Lisa wasn’t helping him.

 

“Oh, so now you’re threatening me; you’re an expert in that after all, you did the exact same with Cas when you made him leave,” now he remember why he was so upset.

 

“I didn’t make him do anything!” she answered.

 

“You basically put him in a corner!” answered Dean.

 

“This has nothing to do with Ben, if you still have old wounds open you should visit a therapist Dean, that’s not my freaking problem… I already told you I was sorry!” she yelled.

 

“Cas, c’mon tell her what you really think about… oh my God, Cas I’m sorry,” Cas was sitting on the couch rocking and covering his ears with his hands, he looked pretty concerned. Dean sat back and placed a hand on Cas’s shoulder.

 

“Are you done with your stupid argument?” he asked. Dean nodded and Cas uncovered his ears.

 

“You two really have a lot to talk about,” said Cas, “but this isn’t the time nor the place. It is clearly obvious that you left a lot of things unsaid and that you’re nervous about this whole situation. You should try to act a little more civilized, for Ben,” said Cas.

 

“You’re right,” said Dean, “look Lisa, I’m sorry. I can’t say that I’m sorry for everything that happened but I’m really sorry for a lot of things and I’m sure that’s exactly how you feel too. Cas is right, we need to act like adults, for Ben,”

 

“Okay then, you can pick us up at 1 pm… and not because that’s what you want but because my brother is taking the minivan to Florida so I won’t have a car,” she said trying to contain a smirk,

 

“Okay, we’ll be here, we can grab something to eat after the lab and we could drop you at the airport if you’re okay with it,” answered Dean.

 

“Thanks,” she said nodding.

 

“If that’s all we should probably go,” said Cas.

 

“Wait… I have a few conditions first. And I don’t want to fight I want you to respect this okay?” she said,

 

“What?” asked Dean; he had forgotten how tiring it could be to have an argument with Lisa.

 

“I don’t want him to know what we’re doing, I’ll make something up about it being a routine doctor’s appointment or something. I don’t want you to tell him why you’re with us… and I know you’re not gonna like this but I don’t want him to know that you two are together,” she said.

 

“What if he’s my son? I’m going to have to explain to him what’s going on with my life,” said Dean.

 

“Well Dean, this whole situation is going to be a huge ‘we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,’ we both will have a lot of explaining to do if you’re his father. Those are my conditions and I really want you to respect them.” Dean didn’t say anything.

 

“We’ll do it, we’ll respect all your conditions but you have to respect ours too,” said Cas. Dean looked at him with surprise in his eyes,

 

“Which are…” said Lisa.

 

“You and Dean won’t argue at all tomorrow. You don’t call us names or insinuate anything about our life or our preferences… and you agree to have a conversation of half an hour with Dean while I take Ben for ice cream or to the park. You two need to close a chapter in your lives if you’re going to star a new one,” said Cas.

 

“Seems fair,” said Lisa surprised to see that Cas was a complete different person from the one she knew all those years ago.

 

“So you’re okay with all that? Even Cas taking Ben for an ice cream?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes Dean, I’m not a monster and he’s right, we need to talk. He can take care of my baby for half an hour. If something happens to Ben you’ll be with me so I’ll kill you,” she said with a smile.

 

“Wow, chill momma bear, I get it,” said Dean, “okay, we should go Cas,” they stood up. Cas put his hand in Dean’s pocket and grabbed his phone,

 

“Lisa, can I have your phone number please?” he handed the phone to Lisa. She grabbed it and wrote her contact info then she handed it back to Castiel. Cas nodded and dialed her number to make sure that everything was in order. Her phone started ringing a few seconds before and then Cas ended the call, “okay, now you have Dean’s number, call us if you need anything, we’ll see you tomorrow,” He turned around and started walking towards the car.

 

“Bye Lisa, thanks for this and… I guess we’ll see you tomorrow. Tell your dad we said goodbye and that we wish them that everything goes great in Florida,”

 

“See you tomorrow Dean,” she said with a small nod. Dean turned around and followed Cas to the car.

* * *

 

“That was a mess” Said Dean on their way back to their home.

 

“It could have been worse,” said Cas.

 

“I know, thanks for being there Cas… you were the mature responsible adult in that conversation,”

 

“I did it for you but also for me… I needed to show her that I’m not that scared little guy she met,” said Cas staring at the window.

 

 

“Well, I’m pretty sure you scared her,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“You two scared me with all that yelling, I’m surprised her parent didn’t show up with all the noise… was your relationship always like that?” asked Cas

 

“Pretty much, yeah… mostly arguing, drinking and making out,” explained Dean.

 

“You know? I still don’t understand that relationship, you have nothing in common,” said Cas.

 

“I thought it was obvious,” said Dean. Cas looked at him with a face that clearly said ‘what the hell do you mean?’ Dean smiled when he saw his husband’s face.

 

“What?” asked Cas.

 

“She’s the exact opposite of you and I was trying to forget my feelings for you back then; I know it sounds stupid but my logic was ‘start dating someone completely different’ and then she showed up at the garage one day and she was hot and nice, it was obvious that she liked me, she kept flirting with me so I said ‘fuck it’ and I asked her out. I don’t know how I managed to keep that relationship for so long, sometimes I think that’s why I was always drinking. It always felt wrong being with her… I mean, we had fun; it was nice going out but our talks were always empty and meaningless. With you I’m always learning and seeing the world through your incredible eyes,” Cas blushed a bright shade of red.

 

“Your logic was so weird,” said Cas giggling.

 

“Laugh all you want babe, you still married me,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Yes, I remember, I was there,” said Cas after a big yawn.

 

“You look tired,” said Dean.

 

“I could use a nap… today was very stressful and we still need to go to my dad’s to say goodbye to Mike and his family,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, what about a nap and then some good old Mario Kart?” asked Dean.

 

“I feel like it’s been years since the last time we played Mario Kart… or any videogame for that matter, we’re turning into an old married couple,” said Cas.

 

“No way man, we go on road trips, we go to concerts, we watch cartoons and play videogames, we have tons of sex… hell we eat pizza without using plates because we’re too lazy to clean after,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, my bad… we’re turning into disgusting teenagers,” said Cas laughing.

 

“Never change Cas… I think Ben is gonna love you,” said Dean.

 

“I’m really looking forward to our day with him tomorrow. I love seeing you interact with him,” confessed Cas,

 

“You’ve seen me interact with kids a lot of times,” said Dean,

 

“But with Ben you act different,” said Cas, “I enjoyed trying to guess what you were thinking,”

 

“I was scared, I was scared of screwing it up or that he wouldn’t like me,” said Dean.

 

“I think he likes you,” said Cas.

 

“I hope so,” said Dean with a shrug.

 

“Everything’s going to be fine Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean almost in a whisper. He was hoping that Cas was right. 


	13. At least now we now, right?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas spend a day with Lisa and Ben; Dean and Lisa talk about their past. 
> 
> They take the DNA test and truth finally comes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! I'm back! I have allergies and I'm one with my bed right now but I really wanted to update this so here it is!  
> Enjoy and remember that English isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistake.
> 
> Thanks to everyone for reading and your nice comments and your kudos, I love you!

* * *

 

August 17th

“So… you’re just picking her and the boy and going on a magical family outing?” asked Charlie while playing with the spoon in her coffee. She was sitting in front of Cas’s desk listening to what had happened the previous day.

 

“It’s not a magical family outing Charlie; Lisa is not my family,” said Cas rolling his eyes.

 

“Man, you sure love Dean a lot, not everyone could deal with all that stuff,” she said.

 

“It’s the right thing to do Charlie, he has the right to know and I want him to feel supported,” said Cas after taking a sip from his third cup of tea that morning.

 

“And how do you feel? I mean, that’s important too Cas,” she said,

 

“I’m not having a meltdown,” said Cas without making eye contact with his friend.

 

“That’s not what I asked,” she said. Cas took a deep breath and held the air for almost 20 seconds then he let it out and finally looked at his friend,

 

“I haven’t let myself think about it yet, I’m acting on autopilot you could say,” he confessed.

 

“That’s not healthy,” she said.

 

“I know, but it’s what I can do right now… she said something that I liked yesterday; this whole situation is going to be a big ‘we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,’ so I’ve decided that I’m taking this one step at the time; right now it is time to be there for my husband. There’s no point on getting mad or upset, things are going to happen anyway,” he said,

 

“I just want to be sure that you’re fine Cas, this stuff is big for you too… a lot of changes.” Cas didn’t say anything; he just nodded and took another sip from his tea. “So, what are you gonna do when you’re hanging out with Ben on your own?” she asked,

 

“I was thinking about buying him an ice cream or whatever he wants for dessert… he seemed interested in Nikola Tesla, I’ll probably show him more pictures of him and just, I don’t know, ask him abut his favorite animal or his school. It can’t be that different from talking to Tegan,” answered Cas,

 

“You’ll manage… you’re great with kids,” said Charlie with a smile.

 

* * *

“Dean, what’s all this?” asked Cas when he got in the car. Dean was parked outside Kraken.

 

“I bought a few things for Ben,” said Dean with a smile.

 

“Did you go to the garage?” asked Cas confused.

 

“Yeah, but only for like an hour… I decided to get him some toys, you know? Cars and planes… some Legos,”

 

“Dean, there are like 5 wrapped boxes on the backseat,” said Cas.

 

“7 actually, I got a little carried away,” he admitted. Cas didn’t say anything and Dean just started to drive.

 

“So… how are you going to casually present this boy with 7 gifts?” asked Cas,

 

“Wow, I didn’t think about that… it will look weird, I’m an idiot,” said Dean.

 

“You’re not an idiot; I understand that you’re excited but just remember that one of Lisa’s conditions was that Ben can’t know what’s going on. You can’t go to their house and just say ‘hi, there’s a big chance that I’m your father so here, I brought you a lot of presents,’ it might sound a little weird,” said Cas.

 

“I’m so freaking nervous, I don’t know what to do… what do I say to him?” asked Dean with fear in his voice.

 

“Dean he probably just thinks that we’re going out for lunch with him and his mother while we make time to drive them to the airport; you don’t need to make up a story… that poor kid’s life is full of lies already, you don’t need to add more to that,” said Cas.

 

“If he’s my son I’m gonna end all that bullshit, no more lies… I want him to know who I am and who you are; I don’t care it that makes Lisa feel uncomfortable.” Said Dean.

 

“One step at a time Dean, he’s going to have to process a lot of information and he’s just a kid,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah… you’re right,” Dean Took Cas’s hand and placed a soft kiss on it. “Thanks for being here for me Cas, I love you so fucking much,” said Dean.

 

Cas smiled and pressed a kiss on Dean’s cheek.

* * *

“Goodbye Grandpa’s house,” said Ben waving at the house. He was sitting on the backseat of the impala next to his mother.

 

“Thanks for the ride guys,” said Lisa.

 

“Sure thing, not a problem,” answered Dean looking at her and the kid through the rearview mirror.

 

“Mom says you’re taking me to the doctor first,” said Ben.

 

“Yeah, routine check up, right?” asked Dean.

 

“Yep, mom promised I won’t get any shots… I hate needles,” the boy said,

 

“Don’t worry little man… I’m pretty sure it’ll be fast and after that, you get to pick what we have for lunch,” said Dean,

 

“Awesome, I want burgers!” said the boy with excitement. Cas just closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

* * *

 

The procedure for taking the DNA sample was simple. Ben thought it was weird when the nurse rubbed a cotton swab inside his mouth but it was fast and just as his mom promised, needles weren’t involved in the process so he was fine with it. After they took the samples Cas distracted him with a detailed description of his favorite burger places while Dean and Lisa took care of filling papers and paying stuff.

 

The lab promised to have the results in 5 to 7 days and once Ben opted for one of the places Cas had suggested (because it was obvious that Cas knew about that stuff) they drove straight to the restaurant.

 

It was a big restaurant with a garden; the day was nice so they took a table outside.

 

“So… Dean, do you still own the garage?” asked Lisa casually while they waited for their food.

 

“Yeah, still working there with Bobby… I don’t get to work a lot in the cars now, though sometimes when we get a classic I like to personally work on them,” said Dean.

 

“You fix cars?” asked Ben,

 

“Sometimes; I own a garage with my dad and my … with Cas here,”

 

“You fix cars too?” asked Ben excited,

 

“No, I work at a creative agency,”

 

“What’s that?” asked Ben,

 

“We make websites and designs… publicity,” Cas didn’t know how to explain it and he didn’t want to say that he was a writer and illustrator too. He didn’t feel comfortable sharing personal information with Lisa.

 

“Sounds boring,” said Ben. Dean laughed and Lisa smiled at her son with pride.

 

“It’s not… it basically means that I get to draw the whole day and they pay me to do that,” said Cas.

 

“Wow, are you good at drawing?” asked Ben.

 

“I guess,” said Cas with a shy smile.

 

“He’s being modest, his drawings are awesome, he’s a freaking artist,” said Dean winking at Cas.

 

“Can you draw superheroes?” asked Ben,

 

“Yes,” said Cas,

 

“Can I see?” asked Ben excited.

 

“Sure, wait,” Cas grabbed his ipad from his backpack and showed some of his drawings to Ben.

 

“Wow, these are awesome… you should make a comic!” said Ben with a huge smile,

 

“I’ll think about it,” said Cas feeling weirdly happy for the kid’s excitement.

 

“Is this Dean?” asked Ben turning the iPad on Cas’s direction. There was an illustration of Dean with Nik,

 

“Yes, I made that last year as an anniv… a birthday gift,” said Cas hopping that Ben hadn’t noticed what he was going to say.

 

“Wow, it must be really cool to have a friend that makes you cool drawings all the time,” said Ben.

 

“Yep,” said Dean with a smile.

 

“And how’s the rest of your family?” asked Lisa trying to change the subject,

 

“They’re fine, thanks; Sam and Jess got married,” said Dean trying no to be rude but without wanting to tell a lot of details about his life, “how about your family?” he asked to be polite,

 

“Well you saw my dad; my brothers are fine too… the 3 of them are married now,” she said,

 

“I have 5 cousins, but just girls!” said Ben complaining,

 

“You don’t seem too happy about that,” said Dean.

 

“They’re boring, they never want to play with me and all the want to do is be princesses,” said Ben crossing his arms.

 

“Wow, all of them?” asked Dean.

 

“Well, not Amber but she’s like a year old, she doesn’t talk much yet,” said Ben,

 

“Maybe she’ll be different,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, maybe,” answered Ben, “can I see more drawings?” Lisa rolled her eyes; she hated it when Cas was the center of attention.

 

“Yes,” Cas grabbed his ipad and after a few touches to the screen he handed it back to Ben,

 

“Wow! Batman, The Joker, Captain America… mom, he drew Thor!” Ben was pretty fascinated by Cas’s ability.

 

“Yes honey, he can do everything, he speaks like 15 languages, he cooks, he draws… you just can’t help but to love the guy, right?” said Lisa with poison in her words. Cas looked at her upset but he refrained from saying anything. He needed to stay calm for Dean.

 

“Can’t argue with that… the guy’s perfect,” answered Dean in a clear sign that he was willing to play that game too.

 

“Do you really speak like 15 languages?” asked Ben. Lisa took a deep breath and stood up,

 

“Jesus,” she said,

 

“Mom?” asked Ben,

 

“I’m going to wash my hands, be right back,” she said turning around and walking away,

 

“I think she’s upset,” said Ben,

 

“Maybe she’s tired, it can be stressful to spend a lot of days away from home,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, it’s probably that Ben, don’t worry,” said Dean ruffling the boy’s hair.

 

“She’s always worried about something,” said Ben looking sad.

 

“That’s what parents do Ben, they’re always worried… you should see Cas’s dad, he looks like he hasn’t slept in 10 years,” said Dean. Ben laughed and then he changed the subject as if nothing had happened,

 

“Why didn’t you bring your dog? I wanted to meet him,” asked Ben.

 

“We left him home… maybe the next time you come to Sioux Falls you can play with him,” answered Cas.

 

“Awesome,” said Ben

 

“Is the dog yours or Dean’s?” asked Ben,

 

“Mine, it was a Christmas present from Dean actually,” said Cas.

 

“Wow,” Dean saw Lisa walking back to the table and he decided to change the subject since he didn’t want to be surrounded by awkwardness again,

 

“So, Ben… how are you gonna name your puppy when you get one?” asked Dean,

 

“I want to call him pie,” said Ben with a giggle,

 

“Pie?” Asked Dean,

 

“Yes,” said Ben,

 

“That’s one of the coolest name for a dog I’ve heard,” said Dean.

 

“Mom, says I can name my puppy however I want but I have to promise to take care of him… that’s why I have to wait until I am 6, because I’ll be a big boy then,” said Ben. Cas’ didn’t understand what made you a ‘big boy’ when you turned 6 but he had the feeling it was just something random that Lisa had said to her child.

 

Lisa sat back at the table, next to her son and acting like everything was cool.

 

“So what are you guys talking about?” she asked,

 

“My dog,” said Ben.

 

“Do you have a dog?” asked Lisa,

 

“No mom, don’t be silly… the dog I’ll get when I turn 6!” he said rolling his eyes,

 

“Oh, that dog,” she said. Dean was grateful that she was acting nice again.

 

“Burgers are here,” said a nice old lady bringing a tray with their food,

 

“Oh my God, they look delicious!” said Ben staring at the burgers with excitement.

 

“Wait until you try ‘em, these burgers are something else,” said Dean.

 

Ben took a bite from his burger and opened his eyes wide after tasting it,

 

“I want to marry this burger,” he said. Lisa laughed and pressed a kiss to his head. The kid was an expert on breaking the tension, Dean could only hope that the boy used his magic to make the rest of the day as good as that moment.

 

“I’m guessing burgers are your favorite then,” said Dean with a smile,

 

“Yes, mom always takes me for a burger after baseball,” he said,

 

“Oh, you play?” Asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, my team is called ‘blue panthers’, we’re the best team of my league,” he said with pride,

 

“That sounds pretty awesome… I loved baseball when I was a kid; I still remember the day Bobby taught me how to play; I never played in a team though,” said Dean,

 

“Who’s Bobby?” asked Ben showing real interest on Dean’s words.

 

“My dad,” said Dean,

 

“You call your dad Bobby? Why don’t you call him dad?” asked Ben. For a minute Dean thought about telling Ben his story and how Bobby had been there for him even though he wasn’t his dad at first but he was pretty sure Lisa would freak out since that would hit too close to home, so instead he chose a simpler answer,

 

“I don’t know, everyone calls him Bobby, it’s just a thing,” said Dean with a shrug,

 

“Did Bobby teach you how to fix cars?” asked Ben,

 

“Yeah,” said Dean.

 

“Can you teach me? That would be the best show and tell ever!” said Ben with excitement.

 

“Yeah, you need to be a little taller though,” said Dean looking at Lisa,

 

“When he’s 6 then,” she said,

 

“I can’t wait to be 6… I get to have a dog and learn how to fix a car!” said Ben,

 

“Hey, being 5 is cool too, you get to eat a delicious burger and you can pick dessert, what do you think? Ice cream?” asked Dean,

 

“Pie!” said Ben,

 

“Figures,” said Dean laughing. He didn’t know why and he was sure he would probably regret later but hen he added, “I know the best pies in town.”

* * *

 

“The bakery is right there,” said Cas pointing at a red building on the front sidewalk,

 

“And you’re sure they sell the best pie in the city?” asked Ben.

 

“Yes, Dean is a pie expert and he loves this places,” said Cas.

 

“I’ll tell you what, why don’t you go in with Cas? The owner is his brother and I’m sure he’ll let you try any pie you want,” said Dean,

 

“What about you?” asked Ben,

 

“Well Ben, it’s been ages since the last time I saw your mom and we have a lot of stuff to talk about, I was thinking we could just grab a coffee,” said Dean pointing at the coffee shop behind them, “while you and Cas go and grab some pie,”

 

“I mean, you’re welcome to join us if you want, we’re just going to talk about the mortgage and taxes,” said Lisa,

 

“Oh my God, no! That’s the most boring thing ever, I hate it when grandpa talks about it,” said Ben;

 

“Are you sure?” asked Dean chuckling,

 

“Yep,” Ben took Cas hand and started pulling him, “Cas can take care of me, c’mon Cas I want pie,” he said,

 

“Well, it’s a shame, I really was looking forward to this talk about the mortgage and taxes,” said Cas following Ben.

 

“See you in half an hour okay?” asked Dean,

 

“Of course,” yelled Cas; Ben was basically dragging him to the bakery.

 

“Okay, lets do this,” said Dean; Lisa nodded and walked into the coffee shop followed by Dean.

* * *

 

“Good afternoon, welcome to ‘slice of heaven,’ what can I get you?” Said Gabe when he heard clients walking into the bakery. It was a weekday, which meant he was on counter duty until 5 pm,

 

“Hello Gabriel,” said Cas,

 

“Oh, hey Cas, what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be working? And who’s this little guy?” asked Gabe.

 

“I took the day off, this is Ben… do you remember Lisa, Dean’s old… friend? Ben is her son,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, really?” asked Gabe wondering if his brother was joking,

 

“Ben, this is my brother Gabriel, he owns this place,” said Cas ignoring Gabe,

 

“Hi,” said Ben,

 

“Hi Ben, you like pie”? Asked Gabe,

 

“I love pie!” said Ben with a huge smile,

 

“Why don’t you take a look at that fridge and see if you can find something you like,” said Gabe walking towards Cas,

 

“Awesome!” Ben ran towards said fridge and pressed his hands against the glass while he looked with attention at all the pies,

 

“Care to tell me what’s going on?” asked Gabe in a whisper,

 

“Dean is having coffee with Lisa and I offered to bring Ben for dessert so they could talk,” said Cas,

 

“Why the hell is Dean talking to her? And what the hell is wrong with you? Babysitting for Lisa, really?” asked Gabe,

 

“It’s complicated,” said Cas, “he doesn’t know Dean is my husband by the way, he thinks we’re just best friends,” he added,

 

“You owe me a big explanation little brother,” said Gabe.

 

“Not now though; there are a lot of things he doesn’t know… I’m just supposed to distract him for half an hour so Dean can talk to her,”

 

“And here I was thinking that today was going to be just another boring day,” said Gabe.

 

“Is that red one cherry or strawberry?” asked Ben interrupting them; Gabe winked at Cas and then walked towards the boy,

 

“Cherry,” he said,

 

“Can I have a slice?” asked Ben,

 

“Sure thing kiddo… want some ice cream with that?” Ben’s face lit with happiness. Gabe laughed when he saw his expression and grabbed the pie from the fridge,

 

People usually didn’t eat at Gabe’s place but he had 3 tables for people who waited for their orders; Ben ran towards one of the tables and sat there waiting for his dessert.

* * *

 

Dean handed a cup of coffee to Lisa and then took a seat in front of her,

 

“So…” he said,

 

“So…” she replied,

 

“wanna go first?” asked Dean,

 

“I don’t know Dean, what do you want me to say?” she asked,

 

“Do you hate me?” he asked back,

 

“I… I did for a while, I blamed you for a lot of things but I guess I finally understood that I brought most of that shit to myself,” she said after taking a sip of her coffee,

 

“I’m sorry, I really tried, you know? I wanted it to work but it just didn’t,” he said,

 

“I guess I wasn’t as good as Cas,” she said,

 

“It’s not that… I thought that dating someone completely opposite to Castiel would be the answer, but by doing that I ended up dating someone with whom I didn’t have anything in common and it was hard… I’m not trying to justify myself, I’m just saying that’s one of the reasons why it didn’t work,” said Dean,

 

“I was falling in love with you and it was hard to realize that for you Cas was going to be always first… I turned into a bad person. I guess at some point it stopped being love and it turned into an obsession, a competition,” she said,

 

“I’m not a prize,” said Dean,

 

“I know, but I don’t know what happened, something changed inside of me… you were like the perfect man, and growing up, that’s all I ever wanted, this happy life with a perfect husband and a couple of kids… I guess I just thought that you were that for me and then when I realized that I wasn’t that for you it made me go crazy,” she explained.

 

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out the way you wanted, I’m sorry I gave you false hopes,”

 

“I gave myself false hopes Dean, I thought that by getting Cas out of the picture you would finally love me,” she said.

 

“That was fucked up, what you did… you made him part of it and he didn’t deserve that,” said Dean staring at his cup.

 

“I was desperate,” she said,

 

“Those two months without him were one of the hardest moments in my whole life… to be honest, that was just cruel,”

 

“Oh, and being with you and seeing how you looked at him, the presents you gave him, how you canceled our plans to be with him… I’m pretty sure you were thinking of him every time we had sex so don’t try to be the victim here Dean,” she said raising her voice. Dean felt lucky that the place was almost empty.

 

“I’m sorry… I was an asshole for being with you while I was in love with someone else, I get it and I feel really sorry, but what I don’t understand is for how long did you know? Why did you choose to stay if you knew I was in love with him?” asked Dean,

 

“I guess deep down I always knew, but then… that Christmas when you gave him the dog and he gave you the star; the way you looked at each other I just knew for sure. And then at the New Year’s party, when he saw us in the TV room, I realized that for some weird reason he wouldn’t do anything about his feelings for you and well, I decided to talk to him, to ask him to step aside,”

 

“You knew? You saw him and you didn’t say anything?” asked Dean in shock,

 

“What was I supposed to say Dean? He left anyway, he just stood there for a few seconds and then he left… it doesn’t matter anyway, that’s in the past,” she said trying to justify herself.

 

“Jesus, you’re so selfish,” whispered Dean.

 

“Oh, I’m selfish… you only thought about yourself when we were together Dean, you wanted to have everything; you wanted Cas by your side and you wanted me by your side and you thought that no one was going to get hurt with your stupid choices,” she said,

 

“You think I don’t know that? But at the end I paid for my mistakes, I lost Cas and I broke up with you… my life was a mess,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, you didn’t loose Castiel, you’re married to the guy,” she said.

 

“It’s not like I married him the day after you and I broke up,” said Dean,

 

“So what? You had to suffer a little to reach your happiness?”

 

“Lisa, you know what? You were right, all that shit is in the past, we should focus in the future,” said Dean; he really wasn’t in the mood for a fight,

 

“We don’t know yet if he’s yours, and we’re supposed to talk and close old wounds right? So let me talk,” she said,

 

“I just… I don’t understand what’s left to say? I was an asshole and I dated you while I was in love with someone else, I apologize for that. You saw me as ‘husband material’ and my best friend was in your way so you made him go away… that’s basically it, that’s the synopsis of our relationship and talking or saying more things won’t change it… you’re upset because I was in love with Cas and I still dated you and I’m upset because you hurt Cas and you made him go away,” said Dean trying not to raise his voice,

 

“Well then, if that’s all we have to say and we already acknowledged our mistakes then lets just sit here for another 20 minutes waiting for Ben and Castiel to come back,” she said looking at Dean with fire in her eyes.

 

“Great… good talk then,” he said crossing his arms, “this is just like when we were together,”

 

“What do you mean?” she asked,

 

“Lisa, do you remember our relationship? We would fight all the time and when we weren’t fighting we didn’t have much to talk about… we always ended up talking about our families or our jobs because we didn’t have anything in common,” said Dean,

 

“Yeah, but we made out a lot and the making up sex was great too,” she said,

 

“But you can’t base a relationship on that,” said Dean.

 

“I guess I just thought that if we got married then you would be too busy with your job and I would be too busy taking care of our kids and we wouldn’t have time to argue or to have awkward silences,”

 

“So you were aware of the lack of ‘spark’ in our relationship then?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes Dean, I’m not stupid,” she said and then she took a swig of her drink. Dean nodded and finished his coffee.

 

“So, we’re good?” asked Dean after almost 3 minutes of silence,

 

“I don’t… I think we’re on the same page now, we have accepted that we both screwed up,” said Lisa,

 

“Yeah, we were a couple of selfish kids in a relationship that was never meant to work,” said Dean,

 

“You lied to me and I lied to you,” said Lisa,

 

“We both hurt Cas,” said Dean.

 

“He was always the better person, you know? Even now, I show up with a kid that could be yours and he’s been so good to him,” she said,

 

“That’s Cas, always worrying about everyone else,” said Dean with a smile.

 

“I’m still not a big fan of same sex marriage but I think he’s fine,” she said,

 

“To be honest Lisa, I really don’t care… all I care about is to be happy with Cas and that’s it,” said Dean. She chuckled and finished her cup of coffee,

 

“I guess I can live with that… if Ben turns out to be yours Cas would make a pretty decent stepdad,” she joked.

 

“Well, like you said… we’ll cross that bridge when we get there,” said Dean.

 

* * *

 

 

“Definitely apple,” said Ben rubbing his tummy,

 

“You sure? You almost got married with the cherry one,” said Gabe ruffling his hair,

 

“Yes, I’m sure… your apple pie is the winner,” said Ben,

 

“ Okay then, I’ll pack you one so you can take it home, how about that?” asked Gabe; he really liked the kid,

 

“Awesome, I really want to keep eating but I don’t want to throw up in the plane,” he said,

 

“Smart move little dude,” said Gabe,

 

“I hope your mom doesn’t get upset… you had a lot of pie,” said Cas.

 

“She doesn’t have to know,” said Ben. Cas shook his head with a smile on his face and grabbed his phone to check if he had any messages from Dean.

 

“I had a great day, Cas… Sioux Falls is always boring but you and Dean made it fun,” said Ben,

 

“I had a great day too,” said Cas.

 

“Are you married?” asked Ben playing with the ring on Cas’s finger,

 

“Yes,” answered Cas,

 

“Where’s your wife?” asked Ben. Gabe snorted from the counter when he heard Ben’s question.

 

“Busy, at a meeting,” answered Cas trying not to blush,

 

“Oh, well too bad she couldn’t come, she missed all the pie,” said Ben.

 

“I’ll take one home,” said Cas, Dean would probably want some pie.

 

“And what’s your wife’s name?” asked Ben,

 

“D… Dorothy,” said Cas. Gabe had to cover his mouth,

 

“That’s a cool name,” said Ben. Cas was saved of Ben’s questions when he received a text from Dean,

 

“Ben, Dean says we should probably go, you need to be at the airport by 6,” Cas stood up and walked towards the counter to pay for the pie,

 

“Here you go Cas, 1 apple pie specially packed for Ben, 1 pecan pie for your wife… Dorothy, and your ticket,” said Gabe,

 

“Thanks Gabriel, I’m sure she’ll appreciate it,” said Cas rolling his eyes and handing his money to Gabriel. 

 

“Goodbye Ben, make sure to drop by the next time you’re in town,” said Gabe,

 

“Of course,” said Ben with a huge smile. He took Cas’s hand and they walked out of the building.

* * *

 

 

“What’s with the extra boxes of pie?” asked Dean while he opened the door of his beloved car.

 

“One is for Ben, Gabe packed it specially for him… the other one is for my wife, Gabe know how much she loves pie,” said Cas with a smirk,

 

“How thoughtful,” said Dean.

 

They got in the car and drove towards the airport.

 

“Did you have fun Ben?” Asked Lisa,

 

“Yes, Cas and his brother are really cool,” said Ben,

 

“Was that the best pie you’ve ever had or what?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes, I loved the apple pie,” said with a yawn,

 

“Close your eyes honey, I’ll wake you up when we’re at the airport,” said Lisa,

 

“Okay,” said Ben. He rested his head against his mother’s shoulder and closed his eyes.

 

“Thanks for everything Castiel,” said Lisa,

 

“You’re welcome,” answered Cas politely,

 

They drove in silence to the airport. The traffic was starting to grow but they managed to arrive at 5:45. Lisa woke up her son while Dean took the luggage from the trunk of the car,

 

“Goodbye Ben,” said Cas ruffling the boy’s hair.

 

“Goodbye Cas, thanks for the pie, you’re awesome,” said Ben.

 

“We got you a goodbye present Ben,” said Dean handing a box to the kid,

 

“What is it?” asked Ben,

 

“You can open it later, I hope you like it… come here, give me a hug,” said Dean. Ben gave him a big hug,

 

“Thanks for everything Dean, I had a great day… you’re awesome and really funny,” said Ben,

 

“You’re pretty cool too kiddo,” said Dean with a huge smile.

 

“Thanks guys, we should probably go,” said Lisa, “I’ll call you next Thursday, okay?”

 

“Sure, thanks… and let’s just hope for the best I guess,” said Dean rubbing the back of his neck,

 

“Yeah,” she waved goodbye and held her son’s hand. Dean and Cas stood there until they couldn’t see them anymore inside the airport.

 

“Let’s go home Cas,” said Dean,

 

“Let’s go home Dorothy,” answered Cas.

 

“What’s with that, dude? Is that my girl name?” asked Dean laughing,

 

“I freaked out, he asked my wife’s name and I automatically said D… and it was the first name that came to my mind; Gabe is going to bully me forever,” said Cas.

 

“You sure you don’t have a thing for Dorothy?” joked Dean,

 

“She’s cute but if I had to choose I would probably pick Charlie,” said Cas with a serious expression.

 

“Okay, that’s it, today was officially one of the most random days of my life,” said Dean.

 

“Let’s go home, I need a nap and a slice of pie,” said Cas.

* * *

 

August 19th

 

Dean felt like the week had been eternal, by Thursday he was about to explode. Cas had been calm and just trying to be there for his husband.

 

“Should I buy plane tickets?” asked Dean during dinner,

 

“What for?” asked Cas confused, they had been talking about their plans for the weekend,

 

“To visit Ben, maybe I should be there when we open the results,” said Dean,

 

“I don’t think Lisa would appreciate that,” said Cas,

 

“I don’t care what she thinks, what if he’s mine? I want to be there to tell him the news,”

 

“Dean, I don’t think Lisa would tell him without you there but I’m pretty sure you’re going to have to talk to her first before telling him anything, you shouldn’t rush things… the last thing you want is to upset her,” explained Cas,

 

“I’m not afraid of her,” said Dean,

 

“I didn’t say that, I said that you need to be smart here, you need to have her on your side, if Ben is your son you’re going to need to have a friendly relationship with Lisa and buying a plane ticket to be there could be stressful for her; she didn’t say anything about wanting you there,”

 

“I don’t know what to do man, this is hell; I just want to know the freaking truth,”

 

“Dean, I’m so sorry, if this situation were in my hands you know I would have given you the answer already, but we need to wait,” said Cas.

 

“Fuck it, I’m gonna go for a run,” said Dean standing up. Cas didn’t say anything; he just sat there and watched him go.

* * *

 

August 21st

 

“You owe me a story Cas, remember?” asked Gabe while flipping a pancake They were at Chuck’s kitchen; even Though Chuck wasn’t in town Gabe insisted on them showing up for family breakfast. Cas looked at Dean who was sitting at the table finishing his second cup of coffee.

 

“Gabriel, can we at least enjoy breakfast first?” Asked Cas rolling his eyes.

 

“You can tell me while I cook,” said Gabe who clearly didn’t want to drop the subject.

 

“You’re so annoying,” said Dean,

 

“Oh, he speaks,” said Gabe. Dean had been pretty quiet since they arrived to Chuck’s.

 

“Gabe,” said Cas.

 

“What? You’re acting pretty weird… first you drop by my bakery with Lisa’s kid and ask me to pretend that you’re a straight married man and now Dean looks like that weird vampire from twilight, you know? Like he's in constant pain and in need for a sunbath,”

 

“Dude, don’t say that shit out loud; you’re lucky your dad isn’t around, that’s the last thing I need to add more drama to this fucking week,”

 

“Dean, you need to take that stick out of your ass man, I’m your friend not your freaking enemy, now talk,” said Gabe.

 

“We think Ben might be mine,” said Dean,

 

“Okay, that was not what I was expecting,” said Gabe,

 

“Gabe, this is serious,” said Cas,

 

“Sorry, sorry… so, how did this happen?” he asked flipping another pancake,

 

“Really Gabe? How do babies happen? I had sex with her,” said Dean rolling his eyes,

 

“You pig! What the hell is wrong with you? I’m going to poison your stupid pancakes! And what’s wrong with you too Cas? The guy cheated on you and you’re acting like nothing happened?” Gabe was turning an alarming shade of red pretty fast,

 

“Gabe, for the love of god… did Ben look like he’s a year old? He’s almost 6, Dean didn’t cheat on me you idiot!” Said Cas trying to calm his brother,

 

“Okay, that makes sense… sorry,” said Gabe while placing the pancake on a plate and acting like nothing had happened,

 

“Jesus,” said Dean,

 

“So, are you sure?” asked Gabe,

 

“No, I said we think he might be mine… we took a DNA test but we have to wait 5 to 7 days to get the results,” said Dean,

 

“So this is really happening… wow, I, umm, how are you guys doing? It sounds like a lot to take in, Jesus,”

 

“To be honest, just a day at a time I guess… Cas has been pretty Zen about it and I’m constantly fighting the urge to buy a plane ticket to see Ben,” said Dean,

 

“Wow, you buying a plane ticket, this is serious,” said Gabe, “how about Lisa? She took her time telling you about the kid,”

 

“I kinda found out by accident, I saw them at the park the other day, she lives in Indiana now, that’s why I hadn’t seen them before,” said Dean,

 

“That sucks man… so, how long till you know for sure?” Asked Gabe,

 

“Between Tuesday and Thursday,” said Dean after a sigh,

 

“Hang in there Dean-o,” said Gabe handing a plate with a small tower of pancakes to Cas,

 

“Yeah, there’s not much else I can do, really,” said Dean. Cas placed the plate on the center of the table and smiled shyly at his husband.

 

“Thanks babe,” said Dean nodding.

 

“We would appreciate if you didn’t tell anyone, Gabe… this is a delicate subject,” said Cas turning his attention to his brother,

 

“Yeah, sure… no problem; am I the only one who knows?” asked Gabe,

 

“And Charlie,” said Dean,

 

“Is she your wife? I mean, since Cas is married to Dorothy now,” said Gabe trying to make Dean laugh. Gabe’s words worked, Dean snorted and happily placed a couple of pancakes on his plate.

* * *

 

August 25th

 

Cas was at Kraken finishing a meeting with his team when he got a text from Dean,

 

**They just sent the results. On my way to pick U up. See you in 10.**

“Is that all?” Asked Cas to Tamika,

 

“Yes, I’ll send this corrections to the team and then I’ll call Mr. Johansen to set a meeting, I’ll try to make it happen ASAP,” she said checking her notes,

 

“I just sent you guys the list with all the points we talked about today,” said Meg.

 

“Good… I’m going to leave early today; I have a few personal matters I need to attend but I’ll be on my phone and as always I trust you and I know this department is in great hands, thanks a lot Tamika, Meg,” said Cas standing up,

 

“Sure thing Clarence, take care, okay?” said Meg. Cas nodded and walked out of the office as fast as he could. He grabbed his stuff from his office and ran downstairs to wait for his husband.

* * *

 

“Lisa, can you hear me?” Asked Dean on the phone. Cas was sitting next to him opening Dean’s e-mail on his laptop. They were in the living room.

 

“Yes, I’m here… I just got home,” she answered.

 

“Good, let me put you on speaker… did you get the e-mail?” he asked,

 

“Yeah, I’m just opening it,” she said,

 

“No, wait, let’s open it at the same time,” said Dean. They heard her pull a chair.

 

“Okay, ready when you are,” she said,

 

“Jesus, you sound so cool with this, I’m freaking out,” said Dean,

 

“I’m freaking out too Dean,” she said.

 

“Is Ben around?” asked Dean,

 

“No, baseball practice,” she answered,

 

“Cool… okay, I’m ready… let’s count to 3, okay? 1, 2…3, open it!” he opened the e-mail from the clinic and read as fast as he could. Cas didn’t know if he should read or wait for Dean to tell him the news,

 

“Did you read it?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah… I’m sorry Dean,” she answered.

 

“Hey, at least now we know,” said Dean after clearing his throat,

 

“It umm… it would’ve been great for him to have a dad like you; I guess I was right, now I can really say that he doesn’t have a dad,” she said. Cas rubbed soothing circles on his husband’s back. Dean was expressionless,

 

“I’m sorry Lisa,” said Dean,

 

“Dean, this literally isn’t your fault okay? And I really thank you for being nice to him and for worrying and convincing me to make the test… I’m going to talk to him this weekend… I need to stop lying to him about his dad; he thinks the guy is going to come back one day and well, that’s obviously never going to happen,” she said with a nervous chuckle,

 

“I’m sorry,” repeated Dean,

 

“Lisa, thanks for everything… If you ever need anything you know where to find us; we really like Ben, he’s a great kid; we really meant it when we said you guys could visit us anytime, okay? Dean can still teach him how to fix cars and he can play with our dog whenever he wants,” said Cas.

 

“Thanks Castiel, maybe we’ll call you next time we’re on Sioux Falls,” said Lisa. An awkward silence filled the atmosphere after that,

 

“I... need to go back to work,” said Dean finally,

 

“Okay,” answered Lisa.

 

“Tell Ben we said hi,” said Dean.

 

“Sure, thanks for everything, he loved the planes you got him by the way,” she answered,

 

“Cool, that’s great,” replied Dean sounding like a robot.

 

“Okay then, thanks for everything again guys,” she said.

 

“Thanks to you Lisa, bye,” said Cas. She didn’t say anything back; she just ended the call.

 

“Dean are you okay?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, I umm… at least now we now, right? It really was killing me to live with the freaking doubt,” said Dean with a nervous laugh,

 

“Love, it’s okay to be sad,” said Cas,

 

“I’m not sad Cas… we always knew this could happen, right? I don’t how I feel yet, but I’m fine babe, promise,” said Dean.

 

“Do you want to take a nap?” asked Cas; that always helped him when he felt overwhelmed,

 

“Not really, I should probably go back to the garage, I have a lot of things to do,” he said standing up,

 

“Dean, at least eat something before you go,” said Cas following his husband,

 

“I’m not that hungry babe, Bess sent us cookies and I spent the whole morning eating them with Bobby and Garth,” said Dean, “do you want me to drive you back to kraken?”

 

“No, I can finish my work from here, don’t worry,” said Cas,

 

“Okay, love you,” said Dean walking towards the main door,

 

“Grab a jacket, it looks like it’s going to rain,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah,” said Dean without really paying attention, he just waved Cas goodbye and walked out of the house.

 

“Jesus,” whispered Cas when he heard sound of the impala leaving a minute later.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always felt that they could've done more with Ben's story in the show, at least explore how Dean really felt about not knowing the truth... I don't know, I kinda hate that he just accepted Lisa's word when she said that Ben wasn't his, like c'mon Winchester, haven't you heard of paternity tests or what?
> 
> Anyway, at least now, in this story, Dean know the truth for sure and he can move on with his life and think what he really wants for his future. You might think this part of the story was useless since at the end Ben wasn't his but it was necessary to make them take an important decision in the near future (more angst is coming).
> 
> I'm just rambling here, probably my pills talking. I hope you liked this... next chapter has more angst (but just a little more) and then I promise a little fluff and happiness before going back to the pain and the 'event' that will change their lives forever.
> 
> I'll try to update soon :)


	14. – It’s okay to have dreams and make plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Ben's situation. 
> 
> Cas is trying to be a good husband, Dean wants to learn from what happened to him and Bobby wants to have a happy future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> Long chapter, a lot of stuff happens and there's angst and fluff :) 
> 
> Thanks for reading, and remember that english isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistake. I plan on posting the next chapter by the end of the week.

August 27th

Dean tiptoed his way to bed trying not to make a sound, which was proving to be a hard task since he was really drunk. He climbed in bed slowly and curled up next to Cas. He was about to fall asleep when Cas turned on his lamp,

 

“It’s almost 3 in the morning,” he said with his husky voice,

 

“Sorry, I lost track of time,” Dean apologized,

 

“It’s been 3 days in a row, perhaps you should get a new watch,” said Cas,

 

“Are you upset?” asked Dean,

 

“No Dean, I’m not upset… I’m just worried,” said Cas,

 

“You sound upset,” insisted Dean dragging his words,

 

“Okay, yes… I’m upset, you’ve been working and drinking nonstop the last 3 days,” said Cas turning around to face his husband,

 

“C’mon I’m not that drunk,” said Dean,

 

“Dean, you reek of alcohol and I’m pretty sure you’ve been wearing the same clothes for two days,” said Cas.

 

“Maybe you could help me take them off,” said Dean winking,

 

“Goodnight Dean, we have breakfast at Bobby’s in the morning, you should sleep,” said Cas turning around again and turning off his lamp. Dean didn’t say anything; Cas just felt him moving next to him and after a few minutes he was snoring loudly. Cas threw a pillow at him and got out of bed. Dean didn’t even flinch with the pillow so Cas decided to sleep in other room.

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t usual for Cas to wake up early on a Saturday but he hadn’t been able to sleep that much that night so he ended up getting out of bed at 6 am and going for a swim. After swimming he went upstairs to take a shower and get ready for the day; he was in the kitchen preparing his tea when he heard footsteps behind him,

 

“Morning,” said Dean, his voice sounded deeper than usual; his hair was a mess.

 

“Good morning, there’s coffee for you… please take a shower, I’ll be in my studio if you excuse me,” said Cas upset,

 

“Cas, babe,” said Dean following him out of the kitchen,

 

“Dean Winchester, for the love of God, drink some coffee, take a shower, shave and put on clean clothes,” said Cas turning around with determination.

 

“Do you hate me?” asked Dean, his voice breaking.

 

“Jesus, are you still drunk?” asked Cas pinching the bridge of his nose,

 

“No, just a little hung over,” said Dean.

 

“I left you a couple of aspirins next to the coffeemaker,” said Cas.

 

“Wait, Cas… talk to me,” said Dean,

 

“Oh, so you’re finally ready to talk,” said Cas crossing his arms,

 

“Cas, don’t do this… I’ve been busy with work and you know it,” said Dean,

 

“Did you get a job tasting beer and you forgot to tell me?” Asked Cas,

 

“I had a few beers with some guys of the garage, that’s it,” said Dean,

 

“3 days in a row Dean; you’re sad and you’re upset and I understand; what I cannot understand is why would you choose to get drunk with your workmates and stay late at the garage instead of talking to your husband, you’ve been avoiding me ever since we found out the truth about Ben… and obviously I don’t know what you’re going through but you could tell me Dean, you could share… if this is going to turn into one of those stupid awkward episodes of our life where I stop sleeping and end up swimming every morning trying to scape from reality and you decide to stay late at work every day so you can avoid me… just, can we acknowledge it already, this can be exhausting,” said Cas,

 

“Oh, so I’ve been avoiding you?” asked Dean,

 

“I’m not the one staying late at work and drinking every night Dean,” said Cas upset,

 

“Ever since we had that stupid argument when we found out about Ben’s existence you’ve been upset with me; you think I don’t notice it? You barely touch me and you haven’t said ‘I love you’ back to me, not even once… it’s like you’re punishing me for something I didn’t plan to happen in the first place!” Yelled Dean,

 

“Dean, I…”

 

“Don’t deny it, don’t you dare,” answered Dean, “we haven’t had sex in two weeks… hell, I woke up this morning and you weren’t in bed with me,”

 

“Dean, first of all, I wasn’t in bed because you were snoring incredibly loud; and second, I’m not punishing you for anything… I was upset at first and then we found out the truth and I knew you were sad and I wanted to give you your space; Dean, I’m sorry, I love you… I love you, okay? I love you; and I hate seeing you like this, but I’m going to respect it; I know you need time and I know you’ll talk to me when you’re ready… I’m just tired of seeing you do this to yourself; you hate it when I drink a lot; just remember what alcohol did to your father,” Cas said the last part almost in a whisper,

 

“I’m not my father Cas,” said Dean, “I’m no one’s father… so at least we know my stupid drinking problems won’t screw some poor kid’s life!” he started to sob right away,

 

“Dean, do you want to talk about this?” asked Cas. Dean hugged his husband tight and cried on his shoulder; Cas just passed his hand through Dean’s hair and let him cry,

 

“I’m sorry Cas,” said Dean between sobs,

 

“It’s okay Dean, let it all out,” whispered Cas.

 

“It hurts so much… I let myself believe that he was mine, I kept dreaming about it, I even knew which room was going to be his and I made all these plans; I was so stupid,”

 

“You weren’t stupid Dean… it’s okay to have dreams and make plans, love; I’m sorry it didn’t work out the way you wanted,” said Cas.

 

“I don’t deserve you,” whispered Dean,

 

“I hate it when you say that,” replied Cas. Dean chuckled on Cas’s neck and Cas hugged him,

 

“I reek,” declared Dean,

 

“Yes,” said Cas, “c’mon, let’s share a shower,” he pulled Dean towards the stairs,

 

“You already showered Cas,” said Dean,

 

“So what? I want to share a shower with my husband and take care of him,” said Cas smiling.

* * *

 

After the shower Cas texted Bobby to let him know that they would be skipping breakfast at his house. They changed into comfortable pajamas and went to bed,

 

“Are you feeling Better?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, thanks a lot babe,” whispered Dean.

 

“Do you want to talk?” asked Cas. Dean didn’t say anything, “Dean, I’m worried,”

 

“Why?” asked Dean,

 

“Well, obviously the ‘having kids’ discussion hasn’t finished yet, we thought it had but after what happened with Ben and how you reacted… it is obvious that we still need to talk about this,” said Cas looking at his husband in the eye,

 

“Cas, I don’t know what I want,” admitted Dean,

 

“I think you do… you looked so happy Dean, and this reaction clearly shows how you really feel about it,” said Cas with a sad smile.

 

“Look, Cas you don’t need to worry… I understand, okay? I get it, you don’t want kids and to be honest after what happened with Ben I’m not sure I want them either,”

 

“What do you mean?” asked Cas confused,

 

“I don’t think I would be able to handle another heartbreak like this; having a kid for us isn’t that easy and all the possibilities involve risks… I would hate to have that taken away from me again, you know? Like even if you wanted to have kids too, what if we’re about to adopt a kid and then suddenly the mom decides that she wants to keep the child after all or what if we go for a surrogate and she has a miscarriage… I don’t know, I think this was a sign,” he said while silent tears rolled down his cheeks,

 

“Dean, I really wish I could fix this, I’ve seen now how important this is for you and even though I don’t feel the same way, I felt your pain just as I felt your hope and your happiness… I have to admit that I wanted Ben to like me and I was ready for him to be part of our life; that was a huge step for me and you know it… I can’t promise you anything but I’m going to try and keep an open mind and I’m going to think about it, okay?” Dean pressed a chaste kiss to Cas’ lips.

 

“Cas, I really appreciate it, okay? But just as you’re trying to put yourself in my shoes I think now I understand your position a lot more than a couple of weeks ago; there’s no pressure really… I’ve learned my lesson, I can’t live of dreams; so from now on I’m going to live in the present and I’m going to cherish what I can have,” said Dean.

 

“Honestly Dean, as long as you go back to your normal work hours, eat 3 times a day and leave the drinking just for weekends and parties I’m happy,” said Cas.

 

“I can do that,” said Dean laughing.

 

“I should change these blankets, they really stink,” said Cas more to himself than to his husband.

 

“We can always finish getting them dirty,” said Dean trying to sound seductive but failing when he started coughing,

 

“Dean, I love you and I promise this day won’t end without us having sex… but right now we need to sleep,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Dean yawning, “you’re always right.” Cas just rolled his eyes and turned around so Dean could hold him.

 

“I’m not always right… sometimes you’re right and sometimes I am, that’s why we’re perfect together, we help each other to be better every day,” whispered Cas.

 

“I love you,” said Dean,

 

“I love you and I find you very attractive and you turn me on,” said Cas,

 

“That one never gets old,” said Dean with a chuckle.

 

It took them no time to fall asleep after that.

* * *

 

August 29th

 

“May I come in?” asked Dean knocking on the doorframe; the door was wide open but he still felt like he needed to ask. Bobby stopped typing on his computer and looked at Dean who was standing outside the office holding a tray with two cups of coffee.

 

“Sure thing son,” said Bobby with a smile. Dean walked in and closed the door behind him; he took a sit in front of Bobby’s desk; he handed Bobby a cup of coffee and grabbed the other for himself.

 

“Sorry for not showing up on Saturday for breakfast,” apologized Dean,

 

“It’s okay son, to be honest I kinda figured you wouldn’t make it,” said Bobby after taking a sip of his drink,

 

“Really, why?” asked Dean confused,

 

“Son, you spent half of last week drinking like you meant business. You only do that when you feel like you screwed up and that there’s no way to fix things… is everything okay between you and Cas?” asked Bobby trying not to sound worried,

 

“You make it sound like that happens a lot; in my defense, the last time it happened was that time I moved out of the apartment; which takes me to the reason why I’ve been acting like a dick lately,” said Dean,

 

“Are you moving out of the house? Jesus Dean,”

 

“No, relax okay? What I mean is that… okay, I need to tell you something so you can understand what I meant, I promise Cas and I are doing great and I’m not moving out of the house,”

 

“What is it then?” asked Bobby,

 

“I ran into Lisa a couple of weeks ago when I took the kids to the park with Charlie and Jill,” said Dean,

 

“Jesus, kid, what did you do?” asked Bobby,

 

“Why do you always think I did something?” asked Dean rolling his eyes,

 

“Sorry, I suddenly felt like you were back in high school or sometin’… what happened?”

 

“Well, I was saying, we talked and it was awkward and then I met her son… she’s a single mom and his name’s Ben, he’s 5 a pretty cool kid,” Dean was starting to feel a knot in his throat,

 

“Oh my God you asshole! Didn’t I tell you about freaking condoms? Are you stupid Dean? Jesus Christ what did Castiel say?” Bobby was experiencing a weird mix of emotions and Dean didn’t know if he should cry or laugh,

 

“I had to give Charlie and Cas more details before they could understand that I suspected I could be Ben’s dad and you figure it out with like 3 words,” said Dean, “anyway, calm your horses old man, I don’t want you to have a stroke, Jody would kill me,”

 

“Then keep talking boy,” said Bobby crossing his arms,

 

“He’s not mine, we took a test,” said Dean after taking a deep breath,

 

“When exactly did that happen?” asked Bobby surprised. Dean took a few sips from his coffee and then proceeded to tell Bobby the whole story. Bobby listened in silence and just nodded from time to time while Dean talked.

 

“I’m sorry about the whole thing Dean,” said Bobby when his surrogate son finished the story.

 

“It’s a lot of shit to take in, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you anything but to be honest I was so fucking exited… I even had planned how I was going to tell you that you were a grandpa, I was gonna take you and Ben to a baseball game,” said Dean with a sad smile,

 

“Son, that really sounds like a great scenario but I’m not gonna die of sadness if that doesn’t happen, okay? You didn’t disappoint me when you guys decided that you didn’t want children and you certainly didn’t disappoint me with this whole Ben thing,” said Bobby,

 

“I’m sorry Bobby, I just spent this past few days drinking and wallowing in my pain and just thinking about all the stuff that could’ve happen but didn’t… I just realized this morning that I’ll never give you grandkids and I kinda felt shitty for that,” confessed Dean,

 

“Dean, I wasn’t even meant to have kids; I was scared of turning out like my father and then it didn’t matter because Karen got sick and then she died… life gave me the best freaking gift in the world, a reason to be happy every damn day of my life… in fact two tall, stinky and annoying reasons. I don’t need anything else, okay? I have two sons and I’m perfectly happy with that, I have a huge family of weirdos; thanks to you I even met Charlie who is like the daughter I never had… really Dean, if you’re trying to look for reasons to be sad, don’t put that on me because I swear I don’t need you to give me grandkids to be happy. If you guys change your mind one day I’ll be cool with it; if you guys don’t I’ll be cool with it too… all I want is for you to be happy,” said Bobby patting Dean’s shoulder.

 

“Well I’m glad… because after what happened with Ben I really don’t want kids anymore, I mean I know we had already taken that decision but now I feel like we’re both in the same page,” admitted Dean,

 

“Too freaking scared to have children?” asked Bobby with a smirk,

 

“That’s exactly the name of the chapter in that page,” said Dean, “anyway, I wanted to talk to you about something else,”

 

“What you got married in college and just remembered?” asked Bobby finishing his coffee.

 

“You’re so funny, old man; no, I wanted to talk about that idea you had, expanding the business, I’m 100% in,”

 

“What? You weren’t 100% in the last time we talked about it?” asked Bobby,

 

“No, I mean like, let’s do it now,” said Dean,

 

“It’s not that simple son but you could say I already started the process, I called our accountant and he’s been checking our books to see if we can really handle a new debt,” said Bobby,

 

“Oh, c’mon you know we do, we already finished paying all the small debts we had, this business has grown and you know it… I mean, you could totally buy my part or Cas’ right now with all the money you’ve made,” said Dean smiling,

 

“I ain’t doing that though, you’re my kids; at the end of the day this business is going to be yours and Sam’s of course. I just think that there are a lot of things we need to consider,” said Bobby,

 

“Like what?”

 

“Son, I ain’t getting any younger, I keep postponing my retirement… first I said I was going to retire when I turned 60, and now here I am, 61 and trying to expand my business,” said Bobby,

 

“You can retire at 65,” offered Dean, “I mean, do you really want to retire?”

 

“Dean, how many years do I have left?” asked Bobby with a serious expression,

 

“I’m not a doctor but I would say at least another 40,” said Dean,

 

“Dean, I’m not gonna live 100 years,” said Bobby rolling his eyes,

 

“Uh, yes you are, life already took a father away from me and I’m pretty sure I get like special treatment and I can keep my second dad for 100 years,” said Dean like it was the logical thing to happen.

 

“Okay, I’m gonna tell you something and I want you to keep this a secret, okay?” asked Bobby,

 

“Are you sick? Jesus Bobby, are you dying?” asked Dean scared,

 

“Jesus, Chuck is right, after you turn 50 every time you want to have a serious talk with your kids all they wanna know is if you’re dying,” said Bobby,

 

“Sorry, sorry,” said Dean,

 

“Son, like I said I ain’t getting any younger, my kids are grown ups and have their own lives now and well, lately I’ve been thinking well… Jody is about to turn 50, we’re both a couple of grown ups and we’ve been dating for ages; I don’t even know why don’t we live together at this point to be honest, it is ridiculous,” he said,

 

“Okay…”

 

“I wanna ask her to marry me,” said Bobby,

 

“About damn time! I thought I’d never see the day!” said Dean with a huge smile,

 

“Shut up idjit, it took you like 10 years to tell Cas about your damn feelings,” said Bobby,

 

“You have a point,” said Dean laughing, “but I don’t get it, I mean, you can get married and still keep working and making your business bigger; you don’t have to work at the new garage, we can hire people to work there and we could visit the place every other week just to check stuff, I thought we’d already talked about this,” said Dean,

 

“I’m not an idjit Dean, but if we get married then all my money becomes her money too and maybe she doesn’t want to spend it in getting another dirty garage and she wants to do something else,”

 

“Are you scared of your girlfriend?” asked Dean. Bobby threw a ball of paper to Dean’s face, “dude, she loves you and she knows how important this business is for you, you wouldn’t ask her to stop being the sheriff, would you?”

 

“No way, she loves that freaking job… it’s like she was born to help people,” said Bobby.

 

“Okay, so don’t worry then… I’m pretty sure she’s gonna be fine with it and if she doesn’t then we don’t have to do it, the last thing I want is to mess with my dad’s happiness,” said Dean.

 

“I think I need to ask her to be my wife first, you know?” said Bobby smiling,

 

“Oh right, she can’t be your wife if you don’t ask her first… do you have a ring?” asked Dean. Bobby opened the top drawer of his desk and handed Dean a small red box. Dean opened it and found inside a beautiful silver ring with a pretty big stone on top, “well, I don’t know much about these things but I would say this looks expensive,” said Dean,

 

“Charlie and Dorothy helped me,” said Bobby,

 

“Oh, so I’m not even the first one to know… I’m hurt Bobby,” said Dean,

 

“Shut up idjit, I’m telling you now… I’ll ask her this weekend,”

 

“Wow, this is happening; I’m really happy for you Bobby,” Dean handed him the box and Bobby placed it back in the drawer.

 

“I won’t lie son, I’m freaking out… it’s been years literally since I asked someone to marry me, and I never thought I would do it again,” said Bobby.

 

“Do you need help with anything?” asked Dean,

 

“Not really, I have everything under control,” said Bobby.

They spent almost an hour talking about Bobby’s plans and neither one of them could erase the huge smiles in their faces. Dean felt so happy and glad to be there for Bobby; he was still sad about Ben and he knew he would be for a while but he also knew that he was right, he couldn’t live in the past of worrying about the future; he needed to live and appreciate the present… and in that moment the present was perfect.

 

* * *

 

August 30th

 

Charlie handed Cas his salad and then sat next to him on the floor. They had been playing Halo in the TV room while waiting for Dean and Dorothy to show up. Nik was sleeping comfortably on his little bed next to the couch.

 

“So, what are we doing for your birthday?” asked Charlie,

 

“I don’t know, we’ve had a lot of stuff going on lately and I haven’t think of anything… any suggestions?” he asked,

 

“It’s your birthday Cas, we can do anything you want,” she said,

 

“Actually, I would love if all the family could get together… I’m about to start the tour, Mike and his family are about to move to LA and I really miss Sam and Jess,” confessed Cas,

 

“We could try to get them together,” said Charlie grabbing her phone,

 

“I don’t know, it is a little rushed,”

 

“What’s a little rushed?” asked Dean walking into the room with Dorothy behind him,

 

“Hello Dean… oh, hi Dorothy,” said Cas,

 

“Hi guys, I was parking outside when Dean arrived,” she said. Dorothy sat next to Charlie and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

 

“How was your day?” asked Charlie,

 

“It was great, thanks,” said Dorothy smiling. Dean sat next to Cas and ruffled his husband’s hair,

 

“I missed you,” whispered Dean.

 

“I missed you too Dean,” answered Cas. Charlie handed Dean a bowl with lasagna and a fork,

 

“Hell yeah, Italian,” said Dean with a huge grin, “wait, are all of you having salads?” he asked,

 

“Nope, I’m having pasta too,” said Dorothy.

 

“What’s with the healthy food?” asked Dean.

 

“We’re 2 days away from September,” declared Cas.

 

“Oh, I better enjoy this food before you fill the fridge with all your healthy stuff then,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“What do you mean?” asked Dorothy.

 

“Every year, on September 1st, Cas gets rid of all the junk food and unhealthy stuff because the official ‘eating a lot’ season begins… that way he doesn’t feel that guilty when we end up eating like pigs,” said Charlie,

 

“What?” asked Dorothy giggling;

 

“My birthday is on September 18th, there’s usually a lot of food involved… then we have Halloween, day of the dead, thanksgiving and well all those events in which we end up having a lot of food; I try to eat healthier around those days because otherwise by January I can barely fit in my pants, plus this year I also have the book tour,” explained Cas,

 

“I like your tradition Cas, it sounds great,” she said,

 

“Charlie joined me after the first year I tried it, which was 3 years ago, and Dean has to, most of the time, because I always get home first so I’m in charge of dinner,”

 

“It’s rabbit food season… and we’re still 2 days away by the way, you can still eat carbs, you know?” said Dean winking.

 

“Oh shut up Dean, you know pretty well that we can find healthy food that’s actually delicious, these salads for example are amazing,” said Charlie,

 

“Yeah, I just like to complain… those veggie burgers from downtown are something else to be honest,” he admitted, “anyway, what were you talking about before we arrived?”

 

“Charlie was asking me what do I want to do for my birthday,” said Cas,

 

“And what did you say?” asked Dean,

 

“Cas wants the family to get together, you know? Since Cas is about to start touring and Mike’s about to move his family to LA,” said Charlie,

 

“That sounds great, I mean your birthday is on a Sunday so we could have a weekend with the family, we can even ask Sam… I’ll send him the plane tickets,” said Dean smiling,

 

“That would be great, but do we have time? I mean, we’re 20 days away and we can’t make plans for other people, they have their own lives,” said Cas.

 

“I’m texting Sam,” said Dean,

 

“Great, I’m texting Jill,” said Charlie grabbing her phone,

 

“Well, apparently this is happening Cas,” said Dorothy smiling.

 

“I sure hope so, I would really love to see my family together before I start the tour,”

 

Charlie’s phone went off in that moment,

 

“Hi Jill, let me put you in speaker,”

 

“Hi everybody! It’s a Tuesday so I’m assuming you’re at the Winchester’s,” said Jill,

 

“Yep, Dorothy is here too,” said Charlie,

 

“Oh, hi Dorothy, it’s nice to hear that you’re joining their tradition,”

 

“Hi, Jill how are you doing?” asked Dorothy,

 

“Great, it took me 2 bedtime stories but the kids are finally asleep, now I’m just gonna drink a huge glass of wine and wait for my husband to come home, what about you guys?”

 

“We’re curious, how’s the whole ‘moving to LA’ situation going?” asked Dean,

 

“I think we’ll be moving sooner that I expected; the house is already in the market and apparently there are a couple of people interested in buying it. Mike is going to LA this weekend, he needs to start his training and to look for a house; the guys at his new job are being incredibly good with him, his boss has 3 kids too and he’s helping Mike find a house, he already recommended us a couple of great school districts… I’m really excited!” she said,

 

“That’s so cool Jill, so… Mike is leaving to LA and you’re staying home until you find a house in LA then?” asked Charlie,

 

“Yeah, I mean I need to start packing and Teg just started school this week so I’m keeping myself busy, what about you guys?”

 

“That’s why we called… I was thinking you know? My birthday is this month and I’m about to start the tour and I really miss you guys and Sam and Jess, so what do you think about a family weekend for my birthday?” asked Cas,

 

“That sounds great! It sounds like Christmas and I love it, I’m pretty sure Mike can fly there from LA, he says he’s visiting us every other week anyway so we can meet with him in Sioux Falls for that weekend, is it exactly your birthday weekend?” she asked,

 

“Yes, my birthday is on the 18th, it’s a Sunday,” he said,

 

“Well, count me and my kids in!” she said with excitement,

 

“Hey, Sammy just texted me, he says he’s in too!”

 

“Well, this is really happening!” said Charlie,

 

“Okay guys, call me if you need anything, I have to go, one of the twins is crying… I’ll tell Michael about the party and I’ll make sure he joins us too, don’t worry,” she said,

 

“Okay, thanks for everything Jill, I’ll call you tomorrow,” said Cas,

 

“That sounds great, it was great talking to you guys, gotta go,” she said before ending the call.

 

“Well, that was fast,” said Dean,

 

“This is great,” said Cas with a smile.

 

“You’re finally gonna meet Sam and Jess!” said Charlie looking at Dorothy,

 

“I’m really looking forward to it,” said Dorothy.

 

“You know what I’m looking forward to?” asked Dean,

 

“What?” asked Dorothy,

 

“That cheesecake you put in our fridge before we came upstairs,”

 

“Aren’t you all going to start eating healthier?” asked Dorothy laughing,

 

“It is not September yet and I can not say no to one of your desserts,” said Cas,

 

“I can’t argue with that,” said Dorothy.

 

They kept making plans for Cas’s birthday and eventually Cas made coffee and they shared the cheesecake. They had a great time; Cas felt like it had been a while since he’d enjoyed a day that much and he felt great.

* * *

 

September 1st

 

Cas was woken up by the sudden realization of lips being pressed against his chest,

 

“Dean, what are you doing?” asked Cas giggling,

 

“It’s officially September,” answered Dean between kisses,

 

“Okay,” said Cas half asleep.

 

“It’s your month, I don’t think a day is enough to celebrate your existence, we should have a month of celebrating that you’re here,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Maybe you should let me sleep and call my father instead to thank him for my existence?” said Cas covering his head with a pillow. Dean laughed and removed the pillow from Cas’s head, he got closer to his husband and whispered on his ear,

 

“There’s a cup of tea with your name on it right next to you,” Cas smiled and opened one eye; he grabbed the tea and gulped down half of the cup before talking again,

 

“What time is it?” he asked,

 

“6:15 am,” said Dean,

 

“Dean, I still have an hour of sleep left,” said Cas. Dean smiled and started kissing his husband’s neck,

 

“Yeah, but if we wake up at 7 we won’t be able to have amazing morning sex,” he reached Cas’s face and started kissing him tenderly first, it took Cas a couple of seconds to reciprocate but eventually he eagerly did,

 

“What makes you think I would rather have ‘amazing morning sex’ with you instead of enjoying another hour of sleep?” asked Cas teasing his husband,

 

“Well, that tent under the covers was a really, really big sign if you ask me… also, your hand in my ass,” said Dean chuckling,

 

“I hate you so much for waking me up,” said Cas,

 

“We don’t have to do it if you don’t wanna… but I mean,” said Dean tracing his fingers through Cas’ chest, “we’re already awake and I got ready for you while you were sleeping,”

 

“Oh, well if you already did that, it would be rude from me to waste this opportunity,” whispered Cas,

 

“Incredibly rude,” replied Dean,

 

“In that case,” Cas closed the distance between him and his husband and started kissing him like he meant business.

* * *

 

“I can’t believe we’re late,” said Dean on their way to Kraken,

 

“Really Dean? You can’t?” asked Cas with a smirk,

 

“This is totally your fault, you practically dared me to go a third time, I was already dressed,” said Dean pretending to be offended,

 

“Dean, all I said was that I wished we had more time because I would really love to do it again and next thing I know you were naked again… it’s not like you were complaining a lot, really,” said Cas laughing,

 

“You’re lucky we’re both the owners of our businesses, I’m pretty sure ‘my husband was fucking my brains out,’ doesn’t count as an excuse to be late,”

 

“It should,” said Cas. They parked outside Kraken and Dean wasn’t sure how but they ended up making out. They were interrupted a couple of minutes later when Meg knocked on Cas’ window,

 

“Get a room you two,” Dean looked at her with fire in his eyes.

 

“You should go,” said Cas almost out of breath.

 

“I’ll get your door,” said Dean, “I need to talk to Benny, remember?” he got out of the car and Cas waited until his husband opened his door.

 

“Good morning,” said Cas to Meg.

 

“Good morning love birds,” she said winking at them,

 

“Don’t you have a potion to make or a baby to eat somewhere else?” asked Dean.

 

“Nah, I already drank the blood of a newborn for breakfast,” answered Meg, “after you gentlemen,” she said pointing politely at the door.

 

Dean and Cas walked into Kraken followed by Meg, they stopped at the reception, Cas to ask Alex if he had any messages and Dean to ask Alex if Benny was around.

 

“Cas, you don’t have any messages but here are a couple of letters for you and this magazine arrived in the mail too,” she said handing Cas his things. “Dean, Benny said you would come; he’s waiting for you in his office.”

 

“Thanks Alex,” said Cas with a smile.

 

“Have a nice day,” said Dean.

 

They walked hand in hand to the elevator and Dean wasn’t surprised when Meg got in the elevator too.

 

“I’ll drop by your office when I finish talking with Benny,” said Dean. Cas smiled. The elevator finally arrived to the last floor and they got out; Dean gave his husband a chaste kiss before walking towards Benny’s office.

 

“You’re walking funny today Winchester,” said Meg making fun of Dean. Dean didn’t stop to answer; he just gave her the finger and said out loud,

 

“I had an awesome morning with my husband, thanks for asking,”

 

Cas blushed and Meg just rolled her eyes.

* * *

 

“You said in the phone you wanted to talk about business, what is it brother?” asked Benny,

 

“Yeah, Bobby and I’ve been thinking about opening a new garage in another town, Pierre probably, it’s close so we could keep an eye on it and we actually get a lot of clients from there who prefer to drive here because, well, we’re the damn best,” answered Dean,

 

“Okay Mr. modest,” said Benny laughing,

 

“Anyway, we wanna make sure that opening a garage there is rentable, we don’t wanna waste our money; I was wondering if you knew someone in Pierre who could help us with a market research or however that shit’s called,”

 

“I think I know just the right person, this old friend from college, he works in Pierre,” he opened one of his drawers and looked inside for almost a minute,

 

“Dude, you’re messy,” said Dean,

 

“You should see my new apartment, I really need to get my shit together,” said Benny laughing, “here it is, the guy’s called Travis Wilson; he has a small agency kinda like when Kraken started, he’ll be able to help you; the guy was born and raised in Pierre, he know his city’s market better than anyone,”

 

“Awesome,” said Dean taking the card, “of course you guys would be in charge of the design and the website, but I really need someone there to help us with the whole marketing situation,”

 

“Not a problem brother, I’ll give him a call and let him know that you wanna talk about business with him,”

 

“Thanks man, I better get going, I have a lot of stuff today at work and I still need to say goodbye to Cas,” said Dean standing up,

 

“Which will probably take like half an hour,” said Benny winking at Dean,

 

“What can I say man? I’m madly in love with the guy,” said Dean with a shrug,

 

“I miss that, ya know?” said Benny trying not to sound sad, “I mean, not Andrea but like, having someone there and being there for that someone,”

 

“Hey dude, don’t worry okay? You’ll find that someone eventually, you’re an amazing guy, really when you less expect it you’re gonna have a special lady in your life and you’re gonna make the same stupid face I make every time I see Cas,” said Dean patting Benny’s shoulder,

 

“It’s been a while since the last time we went out for a beer brother,” said Benny,

 

“How about tomorrow?” asked Dean,

 

“I can’t, I have Jake tomorrow, how about Saturday?” asked Benny,

 

“Sure thing man, wanna tell the rest of the guys or just the two of us?” asked Dean,

 

“Are you asking me on a date Dean?” asked Benny winking at his friend,

 

“Sorry, I’m taken,” answered Dean laughing,

 

“Tell the rest of the guys, we could make it an early celebration of Cas’ birthday,” said Benny pushing Dean playfully,

 

“Great idea!” said Dean. He walked towards the door and Benny followed him,

 

“It was great seeing you brother, call me later to talk about our plans for Saturday,” Dean opened the door and walked out of the office,

 

“Sure, I’ll text Garth and Kev and I think I’ll ask Gabe too,” Dean was already excited for the weekend.

 

“Excellent, see you this weekend,” answered Benny. Dean closed the door and walked straight to Cas’s office.

* * *

 

“Where the hell have you been? I need your help with the clients for a couple of minutes… apparently everyone decided to get their cars fixed today and I sent Alfie and Bert to pick up a car downtown,” said Bobby when he saw Dean walking into the garage. The place was crowed; it was ridiculous.

 

“Sorry Bobby, went to talk to Benny about the market research; I’ll just leave my stuff in my office and I’ll take care of the clients, don’t worry,”

 

“Hurry up kid! People ain’t got all day,” yelled Bobby when Dean started running towards the office area.

* * *

 

“Okay, now if you could sign on the line please,” said Dean handing a young blonde a paper. She was there with a friend who had the longest hair Dean had ever seen. The blonde couldn’t keep her eyes off of Dean, she kept giggling and blushing whenever they made eye contact.

 

“Is that all?” she asked when she handed back the paper to Dean,

 

“Yeah, we have a lot of work today so I can’t make any promises, but if you come pick up your car tomorrow after 11am she will be ready to go with her new set of wheels… oh, and since you had to wait a lot today, what about a change of oil? On the house,”

 

“Really?” she asked,

 

“Yeah, I’m so sorry we kept you girls waiting this long… I don’t know what’s going on today, this place usually has a lot of clients but today it’s just crowded,” he said with a grin,

 

“Well your services are great, you have accessible prices and … you have cute staff so, you know?” she said trying really hard not to blush.

 

“Hey, perhaps you could give us like your number to call tomorrow and check if the car’s ready?” asked the woman with the long hair,

 

“Oh, the phone of the garage is on the note I gave you, don’t worry, you can call there and ask, but like I said, I’m sure she’ll be ready to go tomorrow after 11am,” answered Dean trying to be polite. “See? Right there” he pointed at one corner of the paper the woman was holding; making sure that his ring was showing.

 

“You should still write down your number, just in case… maybe we could go for a drink when your shift is over,” Dean looked at her trying not to laugh; he had clearly shown them that he was wearing a wedding ring and now both women where trying to flirt with him.

 

“Sorry, you seem like really nice ladies but I promised my husband I’ll be home early today,” answered Dean with a big smile.

 

“Your loss,” said the woman with long hair.

 

“Yeah, I bet… have a nice day ladies, remember, your car will be ready tomorrow after 11 am,” the blonde nodded awkwardly and her friend followed her in resignation.

 

“That was funny,” said Alfie standing next to Dean,

 

“It was weird, I tried to be polite tough… and since you’re already here I guess I can go back to my office,” said Dean patting Alfie on the back,

 

“What is it that you do exactly the whole day besides from sitting by your desk and drinking coffee?” asked Alfie.

 

“Hey, I’m the owner of this place I have to sit there and own everything, it’s a really hard work,” answered Dean trying to sound serious. Alfie burst into laughter.

 

“Jesus, Bobby is right, your jokes are bad,” said Alfie,

 

“Oh shut up, Bobby is old, he doesn’t understand me… and now if you excuse me, I really need to get to work, a client just ordered the weirdest neon lights for his car and I need to make some calls,” he turned around and walked towards his office.

* * *

 

“Wow, it smells healthy,” joked Dean when he walked into the kitchen to find Cas cooking dinner.

 

“Vegetables soup, quinoa pasta and roasted chicken,” answered Cas without turning around from the stove.

 

“And for dessert?” asked Dean, while washing his hands,

 

“Gabe came to help me clean the fridge and get rid of the junk food,” answered Cas,

 

“Jesus, did you just gave your brother all our food?” asked Dean opening the fridge,

 

“Dean, you know you don’t have to do this whole diet thing with me,” said Cas rolling his eyes.

 

“No Cas, I want to… it’s like a personal challenge and besides, you’re right I do feel better when we eat healthier; it’s just hard to say goodbye to all that food,” said Dean, “oh wait, there’s pie!”

 

“Gluten free made with organic apples, Gabe is finally starting his new line of organic products,” said Cas with a smile.

 

“Oh, thank God… we can keep eating rabbit food the whole year as long as I have pie,” said Dean feeling relieved.

 

“I figured you would say that,” answered Cas, “so, how was work?”

 

“We had a lot of clients, really, I don’t know what happened today but it was incredible, I had to help with the clients… it was nuts,” said Dean,

 

“It sounds exhausting but great, I mean, you’re going to need the money if you decide to open the new shop,” said Cas.

 

“WE are gonna need the money, really Cas you own 40% of the freaking place,” said Dean standing behind his husband.

 

“Yes and I know you and Bobby are taking care of my investment and I trust you in every decision you make,” answered Cas.

 

“You know Bobby and I have the money now to re pay your investment, right? We could buy your part if you wanted,” said Dean. Cas turned around to face his husband,

 

“No way, that would mean you would have to spend all your savings, I think I want to keep my share of the business if you don’t mind,” said Cas.

 

“Hey, I’m not complaining, but I just feel like you put all this money in something that you don’t like,”

 

“Dean, I get a paycheck every month for doing absolutely nothing and I get a lot of benefits from owning the place,”

 

“Like what? You don’t even own a car Cas,” said Dean laughing,

 

“No I don’t but I get to see my husband happy and doing what he loves… maybe in a few years we can talk about selling my share, but right now I don’t need to okay?”

 

“Just wanted to make sure,” said Dean placing a soft kiss on his husband’s lips.

 

“Now, let’s eat, I’m starving,” said Cas.

 

“Today two women tried to get my number,” said Dean while helping Cas to set the table.

 

“Well you’re extremely handsome and charming, I’m surprised you only said two,” said Cas with a chuckle.

 

“I’m not usually taking care of the clients, today was an exception but it was weird, they were friends and they kept trying to flirt with me and I made pretty sure that they could see my ring but either they didn’t see it or they didn’t care… I had to literally say that I couldn’t hang out with them because I had plans with my husband,” explained Dean,

 

“We should get you a bigger ring,” said Cas placing Dean’s bowl of soup on the table,

 

“You’re one to talk, the amount of people hitting on you when you’re on tour is freaking crazy,” said Dean. They sat at their usual places and started eating.

 

“Yes, I should probably confirm the rumor of my marriage,” said Cas,

 

“It’s ridiculous really, people expect to see a shitload of pictures of our big gay wedding… Charlie was showing me the other day, even in your Wikipedia page it says that it’s been rumored for a few years that you got married but you haven’t confirmed it and then we saw a fan site with weird theories and ‘possible pictures’ of your wedding it was hilarious,” said Dean,

 

“It sounds crazy,” said Cas, “and people ask me why don’t I move to LA; at least here nobody cares about our lives and we’re just Cas and Dean and that’s it,”

 

“You have a few fans at work,” said Dean.

 

“Meg caught a couple of interns taking pictures of me while drinking my tea this morning, she told them she would ban cellphones from the office if she caught them again,” said Cas.

 

“Are you aware that you’re about to double your number of fans now that you’re going to be a published author?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes, my father and Vicky keep reminding me, but I think I’ll handle it… when you’re a writer I think that what becomes famous is your work and not you,” explained Cas,

 

“Have you ever heard of a woman called J.K Rowling?” asked Dean,

 

“She’s different she wrote like the biggest book saga of all times,” said Cas,

 

“Cas, your dad books are big, you heard what Vicky said the other day, the rumors of a movie deal are getting bigger every day,” said Dean.

 

“Can we change the subject?” asked Cas starting to get nervous,

 

“Sorry… what do you wanna talk about?” asked Dean,

 

“My birthday party?” asked Cas sounding shy,

 

“Awesome, what have you thought about the food?” asked Dean,

 

“I’ve decided burgers,” said Cas with a huge smile.

 

“Sounds perfect,” said Dean.

* * *

 

September 2st

Bobby had left early that day since he had plans with Jody. Dean took care of the garage and he waited until all the employees were gone. He was tired but he was sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep without news from Bobby and the proposal.

 

He got in the car and texted Cas to let him know he was on his way to the house. Right after he sent the text he got a call from Sam,

 

“Hey Sammy! I was about to text you,” said Dean,

 

“Dude, did he tell you at what time was he gonna do it? Jess and I are sitting in front of the damn phone waiting,” asked Sam,

 

“No, he left at 3, he said he was going to Missouri’s to get a haircut and that the plan was to take Jody to the place where they had their first date; dude I’ve never seen him that nervous,” said Dean; he put the phone on speaker and started to drive.

 

“He took her to a fancy restaurant, right? I remember you sent me a picture all those years ago, he was wearing a tie and he looked so weird without his stupid hat,” said Sam laughing.

 

“Yeah, to be honest they don’t look like the kind of couple that goes to a fancy restaurant, they’re so chill and I don’t know, they look like their perfect date could be at a firing range,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah,” said Sam with a chuckle.

 

“So, you ready to have a new mom Sammy?” Asked Dean.

 

“I think so yeah, I mean she really loves Bobby, she’s great with him and I’ve never seen him happier in his life… he deserves to be happy after all he’s done for us,” said Sam.

 

“Both of them, they deserve to be happy man… and we deserve to hear news damn it!” said Dean,

 

“You should’ve asked him… that way you could’ve been there to take paparazzi pictures,” said Sam,

 

“Charlie said the same thing,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, she called this morning! She’s really happy because we’re finally meeting her girlfriend,” said Sam.

 

“Talking about people made for each other,” said Dean,

 

“You think?” asked Sam sounding happy,

 

“Dude, she told me the other day that she had found ‘her Cas’, she’s head over hills for Dorothy and to be honest Dorothy is too, I think… I mean, she’s super busy, she has the coffee shop and she’s studying and she has to take care of her family ranch and still she always makes time to be with Charlie and she’s always happy about it,”

 

“She sounds really cool, we really can’t wait to meet her,” said Sam,

 

“Dude, thanks again for agreeing to be here for Cas’ birthday, really,” said Dean.

 

“Hey, he always gives the best birthday presents, he deserves to have a great birthday… besides we miss you all a lot and you’re paying for the plane tickets so…” said Sam,

 

“We miss you guys too,” said Dean laughing.

 

“Hey, what are you getting Cas for his birthday?”

 

“I don’t know, he seems to like Nik, maybe I’ll give him another dog,” joked Dean,

 

“Yeah right,” said Sam. Dean couldn’t see him but he was sure he had made one of his famous bitch faces.

 

“No but seriously though, it’s super hard to find something for him, he’s so good at giving presents he makes me feel like it doesn’t matter what I get him, it always looks like I bought it last minute,”

 

“So you don’t have a present yet?” asked Sam,

 

“Of course I do, you think I’m crazy?” asked Dean trying to sound offended,

 

“What is it then?” asked Sam,

 

“None of your damn business, that’s what it is,” said Dean,

 

“Man, c’mon…”

 

“It’s cheesy and personal,” said Dean upset,

 

“I wont make fun of you, promise,” said Sam,

 

“A house okay? A damn house,”

 

“What? You already have a house Dean,”

 

“Well, I didn’t buy a house… it’s, and only if he wants I haven’t signed anything yet, a studio in Brooklyn,”

 

“Are you kidding me?” asked Sam,

 

“No, I work hard and I’ve been saving for ages because I know he loves New York… and it might sound stupid but when we were kids he used to say that his dream was to have a house of his own in New York by the time he was 32, it's a long story,” explained Dean,

 

“Wow,”

 

“Yeah, he loves the place and I think he deserves to have a place to call home there too, I don’t know, I have the feeling that after this book he’s going to retire from Kraken to focus more on his writing, he hasn’t told me that but I feel it, like our lives are about to change big time… it would be great if he could go there and get inspired in his favorite city, in his very own studio,” explained Dean,

 

“Dude, it’s official you two are the cheesiest couple in the freaking world,” said Sam.

 

“Shut up Samantha,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, you know it’s true,” said Sam,

 

“We’re just a normal couple, man,” said Dean,

 

“Whatever,” said Sam.

 

“So, talking about Couples, how’s Jess doing?” asked Dean,

 

“She’s fine, sitting right here pretending to read a book and drinking a lemonade,” said Sam.

 

“Hey, I’m reading!” Dean heard Jess yelling and he laughed.

 

“Are you going out tonight?” asked Dean,

 

“No, we’ll stay here and just watch a movie while we wait to hear from Bobby; how about you guys?” said Sam,

 

“Well, I’m on my way home but I guess we’ll do the same,” said Dean,

 

“When did we get so old?” asked Sam chuckling,

 

“Talk for yourself dude, I’m practically a baby,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah sure,”

 

“Hey Sammy, I gotta go, I need to make a quick stop at Gabe’s bakery,”

 

“You can also get fat with organic pies, you know that, right?” Asked Sam,

 

“Hey, it’s not about being fat, it’s about being healthy, these pies are healthier and I get to eat them without Cas freaking out because of the diet,”

 

“I really want to try those freaking pies,”

 

“Just a few more weeks,”

 

“Yeah, I can’t wait,”

 

“Well, gotta go,”

 

“Bye Dean,”

 

“Bye Sammy.”

* * *

 

They were enjoying dessert while watching the stars in the backyard when Dean finally got the text,

 

**She said yes!!**

“Bobby and Jody are getting married!” he yelled with excitement waking up Nik.

 

“Yes! How did it go? What happened?” Asked Cas. Dean got another message in that moment; it was a picture of Jody’s hand wearing the ring.

 

“He didn’t say, he just said that she said yes and then he sent this,” said Dean showing the picture to Cas.

 

“I need to call Charlie,” said Cas with excitement. Dean looked towards Bobby’s house but all the lights were off which meant that they were still on their date; it looked like they were going to have to wait to hear all the details.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter we have a lot of fluff and Cas' birthday. Gotta enjoy that happiness while we can because the angst is coming back soon!


	15. Cas! We’re home!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The previous days to Castiel's birthday. Bobby and Jody share the story about their first date and the proposal. The whole family is together again for Cas' party.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm back... sorry it took me this long to post but I was out of town and I didn't take my computer with me. Anyway, here's the new chapter. A little happiness and family time because the angst is getting closer.
> 
> I hope you like it, I promise i'll update soon. Have a nice weekend!

* * *

 

September 4th

 

“Morning guys,” said Charlie walking into the kitchen,

 

“Hi Charlie good morning,” said Cas,

 

“You look tired, seems like the boys night out was great,” she said hugging Cas,

 

“It was, though we didn’t drink because we wanted to be in good condition for today,” said Cas.

 

“I think it was an excellent idea to plan a Sunday breakfast to be with Bobby and Jody,” said Charlie walking towards the coffeemaker,

 

“Is the least we could do; we missed breakfast at Bobby’s last weekend and we need to celebrate the engagement,” said Cas,

 

“Where’s Dean?”

 

“Shower,” said Cas; Charlie nodded,

 

“Bobby just texted me, they’ll be here in 10,” said Charlie,

 

“Okay, I’m going to start the omelets, do you want to help me with the bacon?”

 

“Sure,” she opened the fridge and grabbed the bacon.

* * *

 

 

“Here you go,” said Dean when he handed Jody her cup of coffee,

 

“Thanks Dean,” she said with a huge smile,

 

“And Coffee for you too Bobby?” asked Dean; Bobby was distracted so he didn’t answer,

 

“Hey, Bobby! Bobby… Dad!” said Dean,

 

“Umm what?”

 

“Do you want coffee?” Asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, thanks son,” he answered, “sorry I wasn’t paying attention, I was busy reading the label of the bacon, really Cas, veggie bacon?” he asked sounding really offended,

 

“We also have regular bacon if you don’t want to try the veggie one,” said Cas pointing at a plate with a pile of bacon,

 

“I’m starting to reconsider this whole diet thing,” said Dean while handing his coffee to Bobby,

 

“Dean I’m not forcing you to do anything,” said Cas,

 

“Are you doing the diet again this year?” asked Jody,

 

“Yes,” said Cas,

 

“I think that’s great, you should try it Bobby,” she said,

 

“No thanks, just thinking about veggie bacon makes me feel sad,” said Bobby,

 

“Okay then, keep eating the way you do, sir… just do me a favor, try to have the heart attack after the wedding, I really want to keep your house,” said Jody,

 

“Shots fired,” said Charlie trying really hard not to laugh,

 

“Oh, c’mon Jody… I’m perfectly healthy,” said Bobby,

 

“Are you two gonna fight? Because I’m not sure I ever had this moment in my life and I wanna remember every part of it,” said Dean,

 

“What are you talking about?” asked Bobby,

 

“Mom, dad don’t fight please… I’ll be good I promise, I don’t want you to fight,” said Dean with an almost perfect imitation of Sam’s puppy eyes.

 

“Oh, Dean… we’re not fighting because of you, we’re arguing because your father is an idiot honey,” answered Jody. Cas, Charlie and Dean lost it, they just started laughing out loud.

 

“This is how my life’s gonna be from now on, isn’t it?” asked Bobby,

 

“You can still say no, Bobby Singer,” said Jody laughing,

 

“No way, I wouldn’t change this for anything,” he said with a smile.

 

“Okay, okay… let’s have breakfast,” said Dean,

 

“I’ll FaceTime Sam, he wanted to hear everything about the proposal,” said Cas,

 

“What makes you think I wanna share everything with you?” asked Bobby,

 

“Jody will tell us if you don’t,” said Charlie,

 

“Yeah, this is my life now,” said Bobby rolling his eyes.

* * *

 

“Okay Sammy, Jess… we can see you, can you see us?” asked Dean looking at the iPad placed next to Charlie at the table.

 

“Hi guys, yeah, we can see you,” said Sam,

 

“Hi!” said Jess,

 

“So, now Bobby you can tell us everything about Friday,” said Charlie,

 

“We went to the place where we had our first date, we had dinner, I proposed, she said yes, she cried, we went to grab ice cream and that’s it,” said Bobby. Jody rolled her eyes,

 

“Was it a fancy restaurant?” asked Charlie,

 

“Didn’t Bobby tell you where did we have our first date?” asked Jody,

 

“Nope,” said Dean,

 

“Well, we were supposed to go to this fancy place, a very nice restaurant but as soon as we arrived and saw the huge line to get in and all the fancy people with their dresses and ties we just decided that it wasn’t for us… so we left,”

 

“Really? Where to?”

 

“Bobby, I can’t believe you never told them… well after our attempt of being fancy people we were really hungry and it was late; we were talking about our lives and what we did with our free time and I wanted to show Bobby so we ended up at this homeless shelter where I volunteer every Thursday… we had dinner there and it was great, Bobby even helped me wash the dishes after that and we read to the little kids, I remember he gave his tie to this boy who told him his dad was in jail and he never taught him how to properly tie a tie. It was a perfect date, I discovered right there, that Bobby Singer is a man who cares about other people… I guess I got to see the real Bobby,” she explained with love in her words,

 

“Jesus Bobby,” said Sam smiling,

 

“Really Bobby, we’ve been dating for almost 5 years and you never told them about our first date?” she asked,

 

“I didn’t want them to think I was going soft,” he said,

 

“Bobby, you’ve always been a softie man,” said Charlie standing up to hug Bobby.

 

“Oh, girl… you’re gonna make me blush,” said Bobby hugging Charlie back,

 

“Okay, so if I got this right… you went to the homeless shelter on Friday?” asked Sam,

 

“Yes, we had dinner and it was great, we basically recreated our first date, minus the tie part and well… at the end Bobby told me there was a reason for us to be repeating exactly what happened in our first date and then he was on his knee showing me a beautiful ring and all the people from the shelter where clapping and cheering,”

 

“Oh Bobby, that’s so sweet,” said Jess,

 

“Sorry you kids weren’t there but I really wanted it to be exactly like our first date,” said Bobby,

 

“Dude, you’re getting married… we don’t even care we weren’t there,” said Dean,

 

“We’re really happy for you,” said Cas,

 

“Thanks Cas, I’m gonna be your neighbor now!” she said with a huge grin,

 

“Jodie, you’re gonna be like our mother now,” said Dean, “I mean, no pressure there but you kinda just signed up for spending the rest of your life with a grumpy guy and all his kids,”

 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Jody.

* * *

“Dean, where are you?” asked Cas from the kitchen. They were supposed to be cleaning the house and he couldn’t find his husband anywhere. He heard a noise coming from the garage and ran through the hallway; maybe Dean was hurt.

 

Cas was a little surprised when he found Dean sitting on the floor with a plastic bag on his hands,

 

“Dean, are you okay?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, I was just… I was cleaning my car and I found these,” said Dean lifting the bag,

 

“What’s in there?” asked Cas. He walked toward his husband and grabbed the bag; inside the found the toys dean had bought for Ben,

 

“Oh, Dean,” he sat on the floor and hugged his husband. They remained like that for a long time, just hugging in silence.

 

“How are you feeling?” asked Cas,

 

“I don’t know, it kinda triggered a lot of stuff you know? I just felt like I needed a moment,” he admitted,

 

“I’m sorry Dean,” said Cas,

 

“It’s okay, really Cas… I’m not sad I just felt a little overwhelmed, that’s all,” said Dean placing a soft kiss on the top of Cas’ head.

 

“What do you want to do with the toys?” asked Cas,

 

“I was thinking of sending them to Ben or maybe keeping them here for when the kids visit but actually, I think I’m gonna give them to Jody so she can take them to the kids in the shelter they were talking about,” said Dean.

 

“That would be perfect Dean, I’m sure you’re gonna make those kids really happy,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean with a sad smile.

 

“Is there anything I can do to help you?” asked Cas,

 

“I don’t think so, I guess it hurts less and less with every day that goes by… and it just, it feels weird, like I know it happened and I remember it hurt so much the first day but I feel better now,” explained Dean,

 

“Dean, it’s okay to be sad and it’s okay to stop and evaluate how you’re feeling… it’s also okay to allow yourself to heal and forget,” said Cas.

 

“When dad left… I felt sad and I wanted my dad to be back but the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months and I remember one day I just thought ‘this is better, I love my dad and having a life with him would’ve been great… but this is way better’, and I just kinda allowed myself to be 100% happy,” said Dean,

 

“Is that how you’re feeling right now?” asked Cas,

 

“kinda, yeah,”

 

“I think you just described how it feels like to let go of something or someone,” said Cas,

 

“You felt that way with your mom?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes,” said Cas leaning his head on Dean’s shoulder.

 

“I just… it’s stupid, the kid was in my life for like a week… at least our parents were there for a little longer and we were actually related but Ben…” said Dean,

 

“I don’t think it’s Ben what you’re letting go… it’s the idea you had,” said Cas.

 

“Do you think he will remember us?” asked Dean,

 

“Of course Dean! We treated him like a person and not just a kid; we took him to eat the best burgers he’s ever tried and the best pie he will probably ever eat and you even gave him a goodbye present… he said we are awesome, right?” answered Castiel,

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Dean, “and maybe, thanks to what happened his mom will finally stop telling him so many lies,”

 

“Hopefully, yes,”

 

“I need to see the bright side of this situation or I will go crazy,” confessed Dean.

 

“Well, as the 12th doctor said: the deep and lovely dark, you would never see the stars without it,” said Cas.

 

“Thanks for always being by my side Cas,” whispered Dean.

 

“Thanks for always being by my side Dean,” repeated Castiel.

* * *

September 10th

 

“Only 8 days for your birthday!” said Dean while playfully kissing Cas’ neck,

 

“Dean can you please stop sucking Cas’s face for 5 minutes and help me?” asked Bobby while looking inside the fridge,

 

“I wasn’t sucking his face, I was kissing his neck,” said Dean rolling his eyes,

 

“Yes, whatever you were doing I bet it can wait a little while you help me with the salad,” said Bobby,

 

“Sorry Bobby,” said Cas. Jody and Charlie walked into the kitchen right in that moment,

 

“Dinner is here,” said Charlie carrying a couple of paper bags.

 

“Thanks kid,” said Bobby,

 

“Hi guys!” said Jody,

 

“Hi Jody, how’s it going?” Asked Dean while looking for a big bowl,

 

“Everything’s great… oh, I almost forgot to tell you! A couple of kids were celebrating their birthday on Thursday so I gave them some of the toys you donated, they were so happy. They told me to thank you and they promised they would share with the other kids,” she said with a huge smile,

“Wow, thanks Jody it feels great, you know, being able to help a little,” said Dean closing the cupboard door.

 

“Well, whenever you feel like reading for the kids or donating more stuff just let me know and we can make it happen,” said Jody.

 

“That would be great, you know what? We should start a campaign… at the garage, like a box to gather donations,” Dean was feeling excited,

 

“I love the way you think Dean,” said Jody while hugging Dean.

 

“Son, if you really like to help that much then start that salad already,” said Bobby,

 

“Okay, we better hurry up, this man gets extra grumpy when he’s hungry,” said Jody laughing,

 

“Nonsense,” whispered Bobby,

 

“Okay so dinner can wait then? We wanna keep hugging and talking,” said Jody,

 

“Are you tryin’ to kill me woman?” asked Bobby,

 

“See? Extra grumpy,” she said.

 

“Did you know I used to have a twin? He ate him because we were on a road trip and we couldn’t find a place to eat…”

 

“That explains a lot,” said Jody with a poker face.

 

“Oh you’re gonna go visit your damn twin if you don’t help me cooking soon kid!” said Bobby.

 

“Okay, okay…”

* * *

September 13th

 

“Dude, I can’t wait to see you!” said Charlie looking at Cas’s laptop on the table.

 

“I know, I really need this weekend… things are crazy around here, I feel like we’re living in a movie or something; a little family time is going to be the perfect solution,” said Jill from the screen,

 

“Aunt Charlie! Mom packed all the stuff from my room and it looks weird!” said Tegan suddenly appearing next to her mother.

 

“Well that’s because you’re getting ready for the new house, are you excited?” asked Charlie,

 

“Yes! Mom says I get to pick my room and the color of the walls! I can’t wait!” she said.

 

“How’s that going by the way?” asked Charlie,

 

“Mike sent me pictures of 3 different houses, they’re amazing… specially the last one he found, exactly what we need, a lot of space, one room for each twin, a huge backyard… a pool!! Listed Jill,

 

“So you already decided for that one?” asked Cas,

 

“No, I mean, is the one that I like the most but we still need to sit down and talk numbers; we’ll see,” said Jill,

 

“I want that house mommy! The one with the pool!” said Tegan,

 

“We’ll see honey, okay? Go brush your teeth,” said Jill. Tegan waved goodbye to Charlie and Cas and then ran upstairs.

 

“Are you sure she’s ready to bed?” asked Charlie,

 

“Yeah, she had soccer today, she’s gonna be out as soon as her head touches the pillow,” said Jill.

 

“What about the twins?” asked Charlie,

 

“Len is sleeping and Al is making weird baby noises and laughing, sometimes that freaking baby monitor scares the shit out of me,” said Jill,

 

“That’s something very common when it comes to people of the spectrum… it’s like our brains work better at night,” said Cas,

 

“Yes, doctor Norton told me about that… it still is a huge challenge, right now is what I’m working on apart from his speech development,” said Jill.

 

“You’re doing great Jill,” said Cas,

 

“I’m trying my best,” she said with confidence.

 

“The important thing is to never stop trying,” said Cas.

 

“Mommy! I’m ready for my story!” yelled Tegan suddenly,

 

“Well guys, gotta go, I can’t wait to see you,” said Jill,

 

“Take care and tell the kids we love them,” said Charlie,

 

“Will do, see you on Friday!” she finished the call and Cas turned off the computer while Charlie prepared more tea.

 

“I’m so excited about this weekend,” said Charlie,

 

“Me too, though I’m a little nervous too; you and Dean are killing me with your secrets,” said Cas,

 

“Dude, we’re literally only hiding the cake and the decorations,” said Charlie giggling,

 

“Well, Dean is acting pretty mysterious,” said Cas,

 

“I’m pretty sure that’s more related to his present for you,” she said,

 

“I don’t know, he’s been giving me his present since the month started, like constantly, in every surface of this house at every hour… I think I’m two presents away from needing a hip replacement,” said Cas casually,

 

“Jesus,” said Charlie, “do you really think Dean would only give you sex for your birthday? I’m pretty sure he got you something else,” said Charlie,

 

“He doesn’t need to get me anything, I’m perfectly happy just with him by my side,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure the extra amount of attention and sex don’t hurt either,” said Charlie,

 

“You should see Dean’s knees,” said Cas,

 

“Cas!” said Charlie laughing out loud,

 

“Too much information?” asked Cas,

 

“Kinda, yeah,”

 

“Sorry,” he said. Dean opened the door in that moment,

 

“I’m home,” he yelled,

 

“We’re in the kitchen,” said Cas,

 

“Hi guys, sorry I’m late but the meeting with the accountant took forever,” said Dean placing a soft kiss on Cas’ cheek,

 

“How did that go? Are you guys expanding the business?” asked Charlie,

 

“It’s too soon to tell yet but it looks like it, I mean, we still need to talk with the marketing guy but we’re really excited about it,” said Dean,

 

“I’m so happy for you,” said Cas,

 

“Did you have dinner?” asked Charlie,

 

“Yeah,” said Dean,

 

“You totally ate like a pig didn’t you?” asked Charlie,

 

“I’m weak, sorry,” said Dean,

 

“Dean… I’ve told you already, you don’t have to do the diet with us, I know how much you hate ‘rabbit food,’ don’t worry,” said Cas,

 

“Babe, I’m doing it because I want to, okay? I want to have a long healthy life next to my husband,” said Dean while holding Cas’ hands,

 

“Well, I’m getting diabetes just by seeing you,” said Charlie,

 

“Oh, you’re a hypocrite Red… where’s Dorothy?” asked Dean,

 

“One of the ovens at the coffee shop broke down and she had to stay and wait for the guy who fixes that stuff,” said Charlie,

 

“Dude, and you made her come here instead of letting her be with her girl?” asked Dean,

 

“Dean, I didn’t make Charlie do anything,” said Cas rolling his eyes.

 

“She insisted I shouldn’t cancel my plans but now I feel bad because she’s at the coffee shop on her own,” said Charlie,

 

“Hey, why don’t we pack the projector and a movie and go keep her company?” asked Dean,

 

“Oh my God, that sounds great! What do you think Cas?” asked Charlie,

 

“This is one of those situations where being spontaneous sounds fun actually,” said Cas smiling,

 

“Okay then, I’ll pack the projector, Charlie pick a movie and Cas get your computer and the speakers,” said Dean. They started working and after 30 minutes they were parking outside Dorothy’s coffee shop.

 

* * *

 

September 16th

 

“I’m falling asleep,” said Cas chuckling,

 

“Taking the day off was a great idea,” said Dean still sweating and trying to catch his breath after their morning activities,

 

“Yes, I’m going to need a nap after what we just did,” said Cas getting closer to his husband,

 

“I’m gonna be walking funny the rest of the weekend,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“You’re welcome,” said Cas.

 

“I love you so much dork,” said Dean.

 

“I love you too but I’ll love you more if you shut up so we can take a nap,” said Cas,

 

“Deal”.

* * *

 

“Cas! We’re home!” yelled Dean from the hallway next to the garage and the laundry room. They found Cas in the kitchen were he was drying the dishes.

 

“Hi Cas!” said Jess with a huge smile,

 

“Feeling like hugging, man?” asked Sam standing next to his wife,

 

“I’m always in the mood for a family hug,” said Cas. Jess and Sam hugged him at the same time while Dean took a picture.

 

“Hey, you’re gonna kill him before his birthday,” said Dean,

 

“Sorry, we really missed you dude,” said Sam,

 

“I missed you guys too,” said Cas, “how was the flight?”

 

“It was fine, we slept basically through the whole thing,” said Sam,

 

“You must be really tired, I’m sorry I made you change your usual schedules,” said Cas apologizing,

 

“Cas, we’re fine, you told us about this like a month ago and we’re really excited to be here… we were tired after a week of work but believe me, that nap in the plane did wonders; I feel like I could stay up all night after that,” said Sam,

 

“Awesome,” said Dean, “let’s take your stuff to your room and then we can start this party,” Sam and Jess followed him upstairs.

* * *

 

“I feel like it’s been years since the last time we were here,” said Jess; she was sitting on one of the comfortable couches in the backyard with Cas.

 

“I know, I’m so happy to finally see you guys here,” said Castiel. Sam and Dean joined them in that moment with drinks,

 

“Beer for you Cas, and water for you Jess,” said Dean handing them their drinks; Dean sat next to his brother on a couple of chairs in front of Cas and Jess.

 

“This is nice,” said Sam enjoying the moment.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean punching his brother playfully on the arm, “hey, you sure you don’t want a beer? You’re making me feel like Cas and I are a couple of alcoholics,” he pointed at Sam’s bottle of water.

 

“No, I’m cool… Jess is not drinking and I’ve decided to be supportive,” said Sam,

 

“I feel you man, I’m trying that rabbit food diet with Cas,” said Dean,

 

“Why aren’t you drinking Jess? Are you under any medication?” asked Cas,

 

“Wait, are you pregnant?” asked Dean with a huge smile on his face,

 

“No, but we’re trying,” she answered,

 

“So what you’re not drinking because you’re trying to get pregnant?” asked Dean confused,

 

“It’s actually really complicated, I thought my doctor would just say ‘stop taking the pill and it will magically happen,’ but it turns out I need to get my body ready, I need to take vitamins and a lot of things and Sam too, just to make sure that when it happens I have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby,” she explained,

 

“Wow, it really sounds like a lot of shit, how long have you been trying?” asked Dean,

 

“Couple of months,” said Sam,

 

“So, you’re giving me a nephew or a niece next year?” asked Dean with a huge smile on his face,

 

“Hopefully,” said Jess.

 

“Awesome,” said Dean.

 

“We haven’t told anyone yet though, you know? This stuff can be complicated and we just want to wait… just in case,” said Sam.

 

“Hey, it’s okay… it’s not my place to share this with anyone Sammy, thanks for telling us and if you need anything you guys know we’re here for you,” said Dean.

 

“Thanks man,” said Sam.

 

They heard the glass door sliding and then what could only be a child running,

 

“Uncle Cas! Uncle Dean! We’re here!” yelled Tegan. Right behind her Jill was carrying Leonard while Chuck carried Alan. Cas, Dean, Sam and Jess stood up as soon as they heard the guests arrive.

 

“Tegan! Oh my God, I swear every time I see you you’re taller,” said Dean smiling.

 

“I’m the tallest from my class!” she said with pride hugging Dean, “Uncle Sammy! Aunt Jess!” she hugged them too and was practically jumping with excitement.

 

“Guys I’ve missed you so much!” said Jill while hugging Jess,

 

“I know, this is amazing,” said Jess, “Is this Leonard? look at you cutie, you’re so big!” Jill handed her the baby who smiled at her.

 

“Say hi to aunt Jess honey,” said Jill. Chuck placed Al on the floor before hugging Sam.

 

“It’s nice to see you Chuck,” said Sam,

 

“You too Sam,” said Chuck smiling. Sam waved at Al, who decided to hide behind his grand father when he saw the giant saying hi.

 

“You scared him Sam,” said Dean, “hey Al, did the Samsquach scare you? He’s huge isn’t he?” asked Dean looking at his nephew. Alan looked at Dean and then ran towards him smiling, “I missed you too buddy,” said Dean with joy while he lifted the boy from the ground.

 

“Hello Alan,” said Cas waving at his nephew; the little boy started squirming in Dean’s arms pointing at Cas,

 

“Figures,” said Dean rolling his eyes. Cas took Al from Dean’s arms and the boy immediately hugged him.

 

“Wow,” said Sam.

 

“Yeah, he loves Cas so much, it is crazy,” said Jill.

 

Dean and Sam grabbed more chairs for the rest of the guests and they all sat in a circle,

 

“Grab another chair son, Gabriel is outside cleaning my car,” said Chuck,

 

“Was it dirty?” asked Cas,

 

“No, Bert ate a couple of cupcakes at the bakery today and he threw up on our way here,” said Chuck trying not to laugh.

 

“Poor Bert,” said Cas.

 

“Poor Bert my ass,” said Gabe joining them, “I was the one who had to clean his mess,” he placed the little dog on the ground, “go and bother Nik little dude, I feel like I need some space after what you just did to dad’s van.” Dean whistled and Nik joined them a few seconds later. The two dogs started playing and running happily around the backyard.

 

“I swear to God from all the puppies Nik and Coco had, you gave me the stupidest one,” said Gabe,

 

“Dude, you literally picked that dog and said you two were meant to be,” said Dean laughing.

 

“Yeah, well how can a little dog puke that much?” asked Gabe pretending to be upset,

 

“How can a little guy eat that much and be so annoying? Just part of the mysteries of the universe I guess,” answered Dean.

 

“Hey, I’m not a little guy!” said Gabe crossing his arms. Dean, Cas and Sam stood up next to him just to annoy him, “that’s not fair you guys are freaks of nature,” said Gabe taking a seat next to Jill.

 

“Whatever,” said Dean, “you guys want something to drink?” asked Dean,

 

“Whiskey if you have,” said Chuck,

 

“Dr. pepper,” said Gabe,

 

“I’ll help you in the kitchen, I need to prepare the bottles for the twins… Teg, do you want some juice?” said Jill standing up,

 

“Apple please!” said Tegan,

 

Dean and Jill walked into the house talking happily.

* * *

 

“Are you drinking tonight Jill?” asked Dean,

 

“No, someone needs to be the responsible adult, I volunteered to drive tonight… but tomorrow I’ll make sure Michael takes care of the kids while I get drunk and that’s a promise,” she said.

 

“You deserve it,” said Dean grabbing the drinks from the fridge.

 

“Of course I do, Gabe is complaining because his dog puked? I bet he’s never changed a diaper in his life,” she said rolling her eyes,

 

“Amen sister,” said Dean,

 

“You know? The only thing I don’t like about moving to LA is that you guys won’t be close to our home anymore,” said Jill. Dean hugged her and placed a kiss on the top of her head,

 

“Yeah, that sucks… but just think about the awesome life you and the kids are gonna have,” said Dean,

 

“I know, I’ve been thinking… I know we’re still years away from that but I even found schools specialized in kids like Al; it’s great to have all those options,” she said,

 

“That sounds great, though I would’ve never met Cas if Chuck had sent him to a special school,” said Dean,

 

“Of course you would, you guys lived next to each other,” she said smiling.

 

“Well, that’s true… what does Mike say about that by the way?” asked Dean while pouring Chuck’s whiskey in a glass.

 

“It’s been hard for him, but I think he feels guilty and he doesn’t know how to act around Al… he’s been buying him a lot of toys and clothes, like he doesn’t know how to show him his support so he does it with material stuff… when I told him about the possibility of getting special education for Alan he was like ‘I’ll send him to the best school we can find because that’s what he deserves,’ he’s been going through a lot lately, new city, new job, Alan’s situation… oh and he hasn’t told anyone but he stopped talking to his mother,” said Jill.

 

“What?” asked Dean,

 

“He feels ashamed by it and he’s really confused but they had a huge fight a couple of days after he left and he hasn’t talked to her since,”

 

“Wow, why were they fighting?”

 

“He doesn’t want to talk about it but I’m pretty sure it has something to do with Naomi trying to control his life,”

 

“But that’s basically what Naomi does,” said Dean while placing the drinks on a tray,

 

“Yeah,” Jill was working on the bottles for the twins, “he didn’t say much but apparently she wasn’t very happy when she saw that we were moving to LA so soon, I don’t know what she was expecting but she was really upset,”

 

“Well, like you said, that woman feels like everything has to be asked to her first; I’m glad Mike decided to ignore her and to do what’s best for you guys,”

 

“Yeah, I feel like he’s really trying,” they grabbed the drinks and went back to the backyard.

 

“That’s great Jill, I’m really happy for you,” said Dean. They stopped talking when they saw the family having a great time outside; Dean didn’t know if Chuck or Gabe knew about Mike’s argument with his mother but he knew it wasn’t his place to tell, he felt glad that Jill trusted him so much to talk to him about her marriage.

 

“And then I tried to pass the ball to Cas and of course he didn’t catch it because he has the coordination of a fish and it went right through the TV… I was sure Bobby was gonna kill me,” Dean heard Gabe saying when he reached the part where the family was sitting.

 

“Dude, are you talking about that time Bobby left us alone for a few hours and you broke his TV?” asked Dean.

 

“It wasn’t my fault, Cas was supposed to catch the ball,” said Gabe.

 

“I wasn’t playing with you Gabriel,” said Cas rolling his eyes, “I was reading and suddenly you decided it would be a good idea to throw a ball at my face;” Jill handed one bottle to Cas and the other one to Jess so they could feed the twins.

 

“You were so boring growing up guys, really,” said Gabe.

 

“What did grandpa Bobby do?” asked Tegan,

 

“I made him pay for that TV of course, he had to wash my car and mow the lawn for like two months,” said Bobby,

 

“Dad made me use all my savings to buy a new TV for Bobby,” said Gabe.

 

“I still have that damn thing,” said Bobby.

 

“I’m still trying to convince him to get a New one,” said Jody.

 

“I’ll get you one as a wedding present,” said Gabe winking at Bobby;

 

“Mom! Are we coming to the wedding?” asked Tegan,

 

“Of course, didn’t your grandpa Bobby tell you?” asked Jill taking a sit next to Tegan,

 

“What?” asked Tegan looking at Bobby,

 

“Well, Jody and I were wondering…” he said acting all mysterious,

 

“Yes?”

 

“Would you like to be the flower girl at out wedding?” asked Jody,

 

“Like when uncle Sammy got married to aunt Jess?” asked Tegan jumping with excitement,

 

“Yes,” said Jill,

 

“Yes! I would love to be your flower girl!” she walked towards Jody and gave her a big hug,

 

“Thanks a lot Teg,” said Jody with a huge grin,

 

“Jody, can I ask you something?” asked Tegan suddenly looking very shy,

 

“What is it kiddo?” asked Jody,

 

“If you marry my Grandpa Bobby… can I call you Grandma Jody?” everyone’s hearts melted right there,

 

“Of course you do Teg, I would love to be your grandma,” said Jody hugging Tegan.

 

They kept talking about the wedding and telling Tegan about their adventures when they were kids. Eventually Charlie and Dorothy joined the family with 2 boxes of doughnuts from Dorothy’s coffee.

 

“I know I should hate you but this doughnuts make it impossible,” said Gabe,

 

“Hey, if I can live with the fact that your pie is way better than mine then you can live with this,” said Dorothy lifting the doughnut she had in her hand,

 

“Good point,” said Gabe.

 

“I’ve missed this so freaking much,” said Dean enjoying his doughnut,

 

“You seriously make it sound like I’ve been forcing you to eat healthy,” said Cas,

 

“Cas, I enjoy the diet… thanks to that this little piece of heaven tastes a thousand times better,” said Dean. Cas rolled his eyes and pushed him playfully,

 

“Jesus, you two are so disgustingly cute,” said Jess.

 

“So,” said Gabe trying to change the subject, “who’s gonna be in charge of distracting my baby brother tomorrow morning while I take care of the cake with Dean-o, and Charlie takes care of the house decorations?”

 

“That wont be a problem,” said Jess,

 

“Yeah, we were thinking of taking you for breakfast and then maybe to the mall to get you a new outfit for the party, what do you say?” asked Jill.

 

“We?” asked Cas,

 

“Yes, Sam and Jess are coming with us… Michael is taking care of the kids; and Bobby, Chuck and Jody are helping Charlie and Dorothy to get everything ready here,” said Jill,

 

“That sounds great, I get to spend my morning with the people I never get to see,” said Cas with a huge smile.

 

“Hey, I wanna go too!” said Tegan,

 

“Don’t you wanna spend the day with your dad? You probably won’t see him again until next month,” said Jill,

 

“Hmm, okay… but can you buy me something at the mall?” asked the little girl,

 

“Deal,” said Jill.

 

“Well, since I’m not spending the morning with my 3 favorite kids in the whole world why don’t we do something right now? What do you want to do Tegan?” asked Cas.

 

“Pool!” she said excited.

 

“As long as your mom says it’s okay,” said Cas,

 

“Only for a little while, okay Tegs? It’s late and you guys still need to have dinner,” said Jill.

 

“Yes mom, I promise,”

 

“Okay, then it’s pool time!” said Jill.

* * *

A little after 9 pm the family left since they all needed to rest; Cas and Jess were cleaning the kitchen, while Dean and Sam cleaned the backyard.

 

“I had a great time today,” said Jess while placing the dirty dishes on the dishwasher.

 

“Yes, I really missed this… I know we met when Sam already lived in California, but there was a time when playing with Sam, Dean and Gabe was my everyday life; Sam is one of my best friends in the world and I miss him so much,” said Cas,

 

“That’s so sweet,” said Jess.

 

“It’s weird to stop and see how much our lives have changed… I’m with Dean, Sam is taller than all of us and he’s married and living in San Francisco; Gabe has a successful business,” said Cas,

 

“Did you ever imagine your lives would turn out like this?” asked Jess.

 

“I always knew Gabe would end up working in the food business… and for some weird reason I always pictured Dean being my roommate, it was stupid I know but I couldn’t live with the idea of him not being part of my life,” said Cas; he grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and took a sit by the kitchen island since they had finished cleaning.

 

“Well, you weren’t wrong,” said Jess grabbing her bottle of water and sitting next to Cas, “what about Sam, how did you picture him?”

 

“I always knew he would be a lawyer, in fact I think I was the first one to know, he told me once that he was worried because he didn’t want to continue with the family tradition… Dean always knew he wanted to work with cars like Bobby and John but well, Sam wanted to do something else; we talked a lot about it before he finally told Bobby, who by the way was really happy and took us all for burgers after he heard the news,” said Cas with a smile, “and I guess I also knew that he wasn’t coming back after moving to California, I don’t know… when we were growing up and talked about the future I always pictured him in a big house with a lovely wife and a lot of kids,”

 

“Well, that’s the idea,” said Jess laughing,

 

“How many kids do you want?” asked Cas,

 

“At least 3,” said Jess,

 

“Wow,” said Cas,

 

“But we’ll see… I’m pretty sure I won’t say the same after the first one,” said Jess,

 

“Well I don’t have expertise in that area, but I’m pretty sure as long as both of you work together as parents everything’s going to be fine,” said Cas.

 

“I’m worried, you know?”

 

“About?” asked Cas,

 

“I don’t know, I guess it’s just normal… it’s something new and scary I guess,”

 

“I guess,” said Cas, “you know? You’re the first ones in this family who have actually planned when to become parents… Dean and Sam were basically dropped at Bobby’s door; my dad and Michael are more of the ‘we’ll have the kids God sends us’ type,”

 

“Wow, I’ve never thought about it,” said Jess laughing,

 

“Well, congratulations, apparently you’re the most responsible adults in this family,” said Cas.

* * *

 

 

“Should we leave the tables and the chairs set for tomorrow?” asked Sam,

 

“Nah, it’ll be all full of dust tomorrow if we leave it out here,” said Dean while folding a chair.

 

“Okay, you’re the expert,” said Sam following him to the small room where they kept the chairs and tables for gatherings outside.

 

They finished cleaning and after taking out the trash they returned to the picnic table close to the pool to relax.

 

“Is it stupid that I enjoyed cleaning and taking out the trash with you?” asked Sam,

 

“Don’t mention that to Bobby,” said Dean smiling,

 

“I miss this, you know? I love my life in San Francisco… I just wish you guys lived closer,” said Sam,

 

“Yeah, I know what you mean… but I guess that’s what growing up is about,” said Dean,

 

“At least we get to see each other on special occasions,” said Sam,

 

“Yeah, thanks again for showing up for Cas’s birthday,” said Dean,

 

“Not a problem man, I think we all needed this,” said Sam looking at the sky,

 

“What’s in your head Sammy?” asked Dean after almost a minute of silence.

 

“Nothing, just enjoying the moment, I guess. Today was great man, listening to all those old stories about our childhood… I can’t wait to be a dad Dean, I can’t wait to have a bunch of kids and tell them about all the stupid shit we did when we were kids and then see all the stupid shit they do growing up,”

 

“A bunch of kids?” asked Dean surprised,

 

“Yeah, we want at least 3… I loved growing up with you and the Novaks, we were like a big family and it was never boring; even Michael was okay sometimes. Jess is an only child and she says it sucks to grow up alone, so yeah, we want to have a lot of kids,” said Sam.

 

“That’s cool Sammy, you’re gonna be a great dad,” said Dean, “and we already know that I’m the cool uncle so your kids are gonna be spoiled as fuck,”

 

“Yeah, I can see that with Mike’s kids, you do everything they want, it’s crazy… I never thought I would see you pretending to be the pet dragon of princess Tegan,” said Sam laughing,

 

“Queen Tegan, please… Charlie taught her that queens have a higher rank and now she insists on being called a queen,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Sorry, queen Tegan; Jesus if you’re like that with your niece I can only imagine how would you be with a daughter… crap, sorry,” Sam felt stupid the moment the words left his mouth,

 

“Hey, Sammy it’s okay… I don’t know why people don’t understand this but we won’t have kids because we don’t want to; we don’t spend our days wallowing because we will never become parents, we decided we didn’t want to have kids… so yeah, maybe you’re right, if I had a daughter I would probably spoil the shit out of her, but I’m not planning on having one,” explained Dean.

 

“Okay, this is gonna sound weird but something happened,” said Sam,

 

“What?” asked Dean confused,

 

“You wanted to have kids and you looked kinda sad when you talked about it… I mean, you had accepted Cas’s decision and you said you were cool with it but I knew deep down you were just trying to convince yourself; but now you really think that way, what happened?” asked Sam,

 

“Well, I had time to think about it and I decided that I really don’t want kids… it’s not just the fact that I want my husband to be happy, I really don’t want to be a father,” said Dean.

 

“Wow,” said Sam.

 

“What? Can’t a guy change his freaking mind mind?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, I just… what made you change it?” asked Sam,

 

“I need a beer,” said Dean standing up,

 

“Dude, what happened?” asked Sam worried,

 

“Life happened Sammy, okay?” said Dean. Sam stood up too,

 

“Dean, talk to me,” said Sam. Dean considered for a minute going into the house but he didn’t want to worry Cas. He took a couple of deep breaths and then sat down again,

 

“It’s not your fault Sammy, sorry about that,” said Dean.

 

“Dean, what the hell is going on man?” Sam was freaking out,

 

“Sorry, okay? Just sit down, I need to tell you something; you’re right Sam, something happened… I didn’t tell you because I’m doing my best to forget it happened and most of the time I’m cool with it but sometimes it still hurts,” said Dean looking at his feet,

 

“Dean, is everything okay?” asked Sam worried,

 

“Lisa… we saw her like a month ago and she has a son, he’s almost 6 and he’s a lot like me. We thought he was mine and we talked to her and she let us meet him and then we took the paternity test,” explained Dean,

 

“Holy crap,” whispered Sam,

 

“I was really excited, I bought him a shitload of toys and I was already planning this life where I was a dad and I could see my kid like once a month because they live in Illinois… and Cas was cool with it but then the results came and well, I’m not a dad,”

 

“Dean, I’m so sorry,” said Sam,

 

“It’s cool man, really… but it made me realize that for a couple like us, having a kid isn’t that easy and honestly I don’t want to go through that shit ever again, it feels horrible… I really don’t want to talk about it because I’m trying to let it go,” Dean rubbed the back of his neck feeling a little uncomfortable,

 

“You should’ve told me Dean, I’m your brother,” asked Sam,

 

“It… it felt horrible Sam, I was sad and ashamed and I don’t know, a lot of stuff happened in a short period, I just wanted to forget about it,”

 

“Okay, I’m sorry… I’ll drop it okay? If you wanna talk about it then I’m here for you and if you don’t want to, well, that’s cool too. I just want you to be happy Dean, that’s all,” said Sam,

 

“I’m okay Sammy, really… I was a mess when it happened, but I’m cool now I just, I feel like the wound is still fresh and it still hurts sometimes to talk about it, I’ll tell you all about it when I’m ready,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Sam. They remained silent for a long time after Dean’s confession.

 

“We should probably go to bed, we had an exhausting day,” said Dean,

 

“Wait, did I ruin the night?” asked Sam mortified.

 

“Dude, no… I mean we can stay up all night if you want but I’m pretty sure we would be useless zombies in the morning,” said Dean.

 

“I just, I don’t wanna go to bed like this, okay?” asked Sam,

 

“Oh, c’mon Sammy do you want me to hug you or something?” asked Dean,

 

“No jerk, I wanna talk and I don’t want us to feel awkward around each other,” said Sam.

 

“Okay, then the same goes to you… I want you to feel free to talk about your plans and kids and all that stuff, don’t tiptoe around me because you think I’m too fragile to hear about what’s important to you,” said Dean.

  
“Dean, I don’t think you’re too fragile okay? What I said is true, you used to look sad when you talked about having kids but now you honestly look like you’re done with it… I was just worried; thanks for telling me man,” said Sam.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before… let’s just drop it, okay? This is Cas’ weekend and we’ve had a rough month, we just want to forget about what happened and enjoy this weekend with our family,” said Dean.

 

“Okay… change the subject, got it,” said Sam. Dean just nodded, “so, what are you giving Bobby and Jody as a present?” asked Sam suddenly,

 

“I have no idea man, they have everything they need… we should all probably just pay for their honeymoon,” said Dean smiling.

 

“That actually sounds perfect,” said Sam.

* * *

Cas woke up when he heard Dean brushing his teeth,

 

“Did you have a good time with your brother?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, I really missed spending time with him,” said Dean turning off the light of the bathroom,

 

“I’m glad he’s here… I missed him too, and Jess,” said Cas yawning,

 

“C’mon let’s sleep… tomorrow’s gonna be a busy day,” said Dean taking of his pants and climbing into bed,

 

“Goodnight Dean, I love you,” said Cas.

 

“Night babe, love you too,” answered Dean before turning off the lights.

* * *

 

 


	16. Technically it’s not my birthday yet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Cas's birthday party. Dean's plan change abruptly but luckily his family and friends are there to save the day. Jess has great news for Sam. 
> 
> Everybody has a great time and Cas has the birthday he wanted, surrounded by his family and friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I'm sorry it took me this long to add a new chapter but now I have 2 jobs and I decided to go back to school too so I'm really really busy... Don't worry I'll do my best to update weekly, believe me, I'm really trying here..
> 
> Thanks a lot for being patient and for reading, remember English isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistake.

* * *

 

September 17th

Dean was in the kitchen getting everything ready for Cas’ tea when he got the call.

 

“Fuck… fuck, fuck, fuck!” he said after he hanged up. Sam walked into the kitchen to find his brother on the verge of a panic attack.

 

“Dean, are you okay? Dude… Breathe!” said Sam walking towards Dean.

 

“Sammy, I’m screwed,” said Dean trying to calm down.

 

“What happened, you’re scaring me,” said Sam.

 

“I just got a call, the Studio I was getting for Cas,” said Dean whispering and looking at the stairs to make sure that his husband wasn’t listening,

 

“Was getting?” asked Sam,

 

“They just sold it… the guy got a better offer and, I mean he had all the right I guess, I kept waiting because I didn’t want to buy anything until Cas said he was cool with it,” said Dean in desperation.

 

“Dude, what are you gonna do? Didn’t the realtor have like more options?” asked Sam,

 

“It took me months to find the perfect place, I’m not gonna find something else in less than 24 hours… man, I’m so fucking screwed,” said Dean running a hand through his hair,

 

“Dean, I’m sure Cas will understand if you explain it to him,” said Sam,

 

“Yes Sam, of course, he got me a freaking special edition Blu-ray of the Deadpool movie signed by Ryan Reynolds on my last birthday and I’m just gonna give him a card that says ‘happy birthday, I actually had a great present but I waited too long and someone else bought it this morning, so… rain check? I’ll get you something nice later, promise,’ I’m pretty sure he won’t say anything but it’s so not fair to him,” Dean was trying really hard not to break something,

 

“Crap… what about your other ideas? I’m pretty sure this wasn’t your first idea; you spend months planning his gift every year, you must have a list that you threw away, can’t you get anything on that list?” asked Sam, he was starting to freak out too. Dean looked again at the stairs and then at his brother,

 

“Those ideas weren’t good enough man, crap, the stupid studio was the perfect present… I wanted to give him something nice to help him relax and get inspiration for his writing, and now I have Jack with a big side of Squat… I’m the worst fucking husband in the world,” he was really considering grabbing a beer from the fridge.

 

“You’re not the worst husband in the world, it’s just that you married a man who happens to give the best presents all the time, it’s hard to keep up with that... don’t worry it doesn’t matter what you get him Dean, he’s gonna love it,” said Sam trying to be supportive.

 

“The guy got me a star, my own star for a Christmas… where am I gonna find something that special? Besides even if a find something that cool online, his birthday is tomorrow, the party is today, and it’s a fucking weekend, it would be here until Monday or Tuesday… I’m screwed, unless… I would have to ask for a lot of favors and get the number of one of Cas’ geeky friends from that telescope club… Garth, he could help me, I mean, he’s not as good as Cas in that space shit but I’m pretty sure he can help, he just joined that freaking club… yeah,” he was now talking more to himself than to his brother,

 

“Dean, what are you thinking?” asked Sam intrigued,

 

“Sammy, I’m gonna need a lot of paint, a few geeky guys, a miracle and for you to distract Cas for the rest of the day,” listed Dean,

 

“Well, we’re already taking him for breakfast and to the mall, so that’s pretty much covered,” said Sam.

 

“No, that would only give me like 4 hours, maybe five… the party won’t start until 6 pm, I want you to be here at 5 pm, that way he’ll only have time to take a shower, get dressed and come downstairs,” said Dean grabbing his phone and searching in his contacts.

 

“I’m not following,” said Sam. He looked at his watch, it was only 8:30 in the morning; they would have to distract Cas for at least 7 hours,

 

“If I can’t get him his perfect studio in Brooklyn, I’m gonna give him his perfect studio here… we’re going ‘extreme make over’ in that room, he’s gonna love it and I have like 7 hours to take care of that,” said Dean,

 

“Okay, I’m gonna check if Jess is ready and give Jill a call; you go make sure Cas’ didn’t go back to sleep, we can do this Dean!” said Sam with excitement. Dean gave him a pat in the back and then started making calls. Sam turned around and ran upstairs to look for his wife.

* * *

 

By 9:15 am Cas, Jess, Jill and Sam were having breakfast at a small restaurant close to the mall. They were waiting for their drinks and food and happily chatting. Sam wasn’t sure yet if he should tell the girls about his mission, but he was pretty sure he would have to, because there was no way he would be able to distract Cas for more than 5 hours without help.

 

“It was great to leave the kids with Mike, don’t get me wrong, they’re mine and I love them with all my heart but it’s been ages since the last time I got to spend a day like this,” said Jill smiling; Sam blinked a couple of times and hoped they didn’t notice he was acting weird,

 

“What did Mike say?” he asked trying to sound casual,

 

“He was happy, I mean, he hasn’t seen the kids in almost 3 weeks,” said Jill.

 

“Then, everyone wins I guess,” said Jess.

 

“Hey Birthday boy, you’ve barely spoken this morning,” said Jill looking at Cas.

 

“I need tea,” he said, “and more sleep,”

 

“Dude, you were the last one to get out of bed today,” said Sam rolling his eyes. The waitress arrived with their drinks and Cas happily drank almost half of his cup of tea, he was so busy enjoying it that he didn’t hear when the waitress left announcing she would be back in a couple of minutes with their breakfast.

 

“Feeling better?” asked Jill,

 

“Yes, though seriously I could go back to sleep,” said Cas yawning,

 

“I’m sure we didn’t need to distract you today, all it would have taken would be to turn off your alarm, and you would’ve probably slept through the whole day,” said Jess,

 

“I think that was Dean’s plan originally… he woke me up pretty early to give me one of his presents,” said Cas after taking another sip from his tea.

 

“What did he get you?” asked Sam.

 

“I’m pretty sure it’s not sociably acceptable to talk about it during breakfast,” said Cas.

 

“What?” asked Sam confused. Jill and Jess started laughing.

 

“And how was your present?” asked Jill wiggling her eyebrows,

 

“It was really good,” said Cas with a huge smile on his face, “to be honest after all these years I thought we’ve tried everything in that department but today I was proved wrong,”

 

“Oh, okay… I get it now; no need to get descriptive about what happened… there are things I don’t need to know about my brother,” said Sam blushing.

 

The waitress returned to save Sam from hearing more about Cas’ morning with Dean and Sam couldn’t be more thankful.

* * *

“Gabe, I’m sorry man, I just had a little emergency getting Cas’ present,” said Dean on the phone while finishing his third cup of coffee that morning,

 

“It’s okay man, good thing the cake is just a TARDIS; it’s not that hard to decorate… the freaking millennial falcon Cas got you like 6 years ago, and the Enterprise the year after that, those were real challenges,” said Gabe. Dean had to take a deep breath when he heard that; why did Cas have to be a freaking expert on giving presents?

 

“Are you sure you can manage on your own?” asked Dean,

 

“Dude, this is what I do for a living, I’ll ask one of the guys here to help me, no big deal” promised Gabe,

 

“Thanks a lot man,” said Dean with relief; someone called at the door in that moment.

 

“Sure thing Dean-o,” said Gabe. Dean looked at the security camera and saw Garth with a couple of guys waiting outside the gate; he pressed the button to let them in.

 

“Listen, I gotta go… just, do me another favor, if Cas asks, I’m with you, okay? Sam is taking care of distracting him until the party but, just in case,” said Dean,

 

“Okay, I can’t wait to see your present… it really sounds like something big,” said Gabe.

 

“Not as big as I wanted it to be,” said Dean,

 

“That’s what she said,” answered Gabe laughing. Dean rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything, “see you tonight Dean,” said Gabe before ending the call.

* * *

 

“Dean! We’re here to save the day!” said Garth when he opened the main door,

 

“Oh, thank God… did you get everything?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, it’s all in the car, don’t worry… this is Jack and this is Rick by the way, they’re experts on this stuff,” said Garth. Dean shook their hands and looked at them with skepticism,

 

“How good are you? Not trying to be an ass but my husband is obsessed with this shit and if this isn’t perfect he’s gonna notice,” said Dean.

 

“Don’t worry… I’m actually the president of Cas’ geeky telescope club as you call it,” said Rick,

 

“Sorry man,” said Dean blushing,

 

“Hey, it’s cool… a group of grown ups get together every 3 months to look at the stars and talk about space, it’s geeky stuff,” said Rick laughing.

 

“Jack here is in the club too and he happens to be a house painter,” said Garth pointing at Jack,

 

“Thanks a lot for your help man,” said Dean,

 

“Yo, no problem man, Cas is the best and I gotta admit I like this whole mission impossible thing,” said Jack,

 

“Yeah, nothing like the adrenaline of a last minute present to get you going,” said Dean laughing nervously.

 

“I was thinking man, why don’t you show me the room and I tell you if we can make it by ourselves or if we’re gonna need extra hands… just, let me tell you, this ain’t gonna be cheap, I’m gonna have to ask for a lot of favors and some sellers can raise their prices when you buy in such short notice,” said Jack.

 

“Dude, believe me, the money is not an issue, Cas deserves this and I had saved a lot of money for what I was originally planning on buying him so, yeah… don’t worry about that,”

 

“Okay, let’s get to work then,” said Rick.

 

“I’ll show you the room, follow me,” said Dean walking towards the stairs.

 

* * *

Charlie and Dorothy had already hanged TARDIS decorations al over the backyard and were currently hanging a huge sign that read ‘Happy Birthday Cas’; Bobby was preparing the meat for the burgers while Jody and Chuck set the chairs and the tables.

 

“Thanks for helping us today Jody,” said Chuck.

 

“Not a problem Chuck, I love Cas and I want him to have a great birthday,” said Jody.

 

“I can’t believe Bobby found someone who loves our crazy family,” said Chuck smiling, “he deserves it, you know? He’s always been there for me, when Naomi left he took care of my kids because I was a mess… he taught them how to cook and how to do their laundry because I was too depressed to function,” Jody had a nice relationship with Chuck but they’d never had a deep talk.

 

“He’s a great man, I was lucky enough to get a second chance in this life and even luckier to find him,” she said.

 

“I’m really happy for you,” said Chuck,

 

“Thanks Chuck,” said Jody.

 

“Hey, has anyone seen the matches? I wanna start the grill... better make make sure it's working fine,” said Bobby from the glass door that led to the living room,

 

“Here,” said Charlie grabbing the box of matches from a small table where they had placed candies and desserts,

 

“Thanks Charlie,” Bobby grabbed the matches and then walked towards the grill,

 

“I better help Bobby, last time he tried to make that think work he almost burned his eyebrows,” said Jody when she saw what Bobby was about to do.

 

“I heard you woman,” said Bobby, “I don’t need no help,”

 

“Robert Singer I swear if you burn your damn eyebrows I’m not marrying you until they grow again and look decent enough to be on our wedding pictures,” said Jody. Bobby didn’t say anything and handed her the matches.

 

They were distracted by the sound of the doorbell ringing again for the fifth time in less than an hour,

 

“Jesus, is Dean having a private party upstairs or what?” asked Bobby,

 

“Finishing the last details of Cas’ present apparently,” said Charlie.

 

“What the hell is he getting him? A room full of dudes? Okay… that sounded weird, I wanna take it back,” said Bobby immediately after his question.

 

“Guess we’re gonna find out eventually,” said Jody,

 

“I’m not sure if I wanna know,” said Chuck when he looked at the inside of the house and saw Dean talking to a shirtless guy in the living room.

 

* * *

 

“Got everything you need?” asked Sam while Cas was paying for his new clothes.

 

“Yes, where are Jess and Jill?” asked Cas, they were there when he walked into the dressing room a few minutes before.

 

“Bathroom,” said Sam.

 

“Okay”

 

“I told them we would wait outside,” said Sam. They grabbed the shopping bags and sat on a bench outside the store.

 

“I thought it would take us more to find my outfit,” said Cas. Sam looked at his watch, ‘crap, only 11:37… _Dean is gonna kill me,’ he thought,_

 

“Yeah, I still need to buy a new pair of shoes, and maybe a new outfit too,” said Sam.

 

“Do you want to go to another store while we wait for the girls? We could save time,” said Cas,

 

“No dude, I said we would wait here, they’re gonna be pissed if they can’t find us… let’s just wait and relax for a few minutes, we still have plenty of time,” said Sam,

 

“I guess,” said Cas with a shrug.

* * *

“Are you done?” asked Jill,

 

“Dude no, it’s not easy to pee on a freaking stick… specially if I don’t feel like peeing,” said Jess,

 

“Think about water, lots of water… the ocean, an open hose, water running,” said Jill,

 

“Okay, I think I got it,” said Jess. She flushed and then opened the stall door. Jill was sitting on the sink waiting for her friend.

 

“I feel like we’re a couple of teenagers doing this in the high school bathroom,” said Jill.

 

“I needed to know dude, I should have gotten my period a couple of weeks ago… and I’m telling you, I feel weird,” said Jess.

 

“Well, let’s wait,” said Jill. Jess washed her hands and then sat next to her friend waiting for the little sign in the pregnancy test to show up.

 

“Are we taking too long?” asked Jess,

 

“Nah, we’ll just tell them that I got my period or something,” said Jill.

 

“I feel stupid doing this at a mall bathroom,” said Jess,

 

“You’re the one who dragged me out of the store because you needed to take a pregnancy test ASAP,” said Jill,

 

“Yeah well, I saw the kids section and I almost started to cry because of a small blue onesie, I think that was a sign,” said Jess,

 

“I really hope you’re pregnant… I can’t wait to tell your future child that we found out about their existence at a mall bathroom,” said Jill,

 

“Somehow I feel that’s not the most awkward thing I’ve done in your presence,” said Jess,

 

“Nothing beats my bachelorette party,” said Jill smiling,

 

“I still have to apologize to Charlie every time I see her,” said Jess laughing,

 

“It wasn’t that bad, at least you didn’t puke on her shoes,” said Jill,

 

“Because I was too busy throwing up on her hair… anyway, I think it’s ready,” said Jess lifting the little stick on her hand,

 

“So?” asked Jill,

 

“I’m pregnant!” said Jess standing up and jumping with excitement. Jill stood up too and hugged her friend.

 

“Oh my God! You need to tell Sam! How are you gonna tell Sam?” asked Jill,

 

“I have no freaking idea, but I’m gonna be a mom,” said Jess with a huge smile. They took a few minutes to calm down before leaving the bathroom to look for the guys.

* * *

 

“What took you so long?” asked Cas,

 

“Sorry, had a women’s situation… everything’s under control now, don’t worry,” said Jill,

 

“Is everything alright?” asked Sam,

 

“Yeah, it’s just ‘that time of the month’ … so Cas, did you end up buying those black jeans?” said Jess,

 

“Yes, and the white t-shirt,” said Cas smiling,

 

“Great, we just need to get you a nice button-down, preferably plaid and I guarantee you, Dean won’t be able to take his hands off of you,” said Jill,

 

“Dude,” said Sam rolling his eyes,

 

“Relax Sam, it’s a beautiful day and we still have like 3 hours to kill,” said Jess taking her husband’s hand.

 

They walked into the next store and the girls ended up buying clothes too, Sam didn’t know why but suddenly they seemed very cheery, honestly he didn’t care, they were in the mood for shopping and that was perfect.

 

“This is the one Cas, add this to your new jeans and that t-shirt and your man is gonna lose it,” said Jill grabbing a button-down from a rack.

 

“Blue plaid, it matches you’re eyes, you’ll look great,” said Jess,

 

“I feel like a teenager, I love going out with you,” said Cas smiling,

 

“I know, right? Today is just one of those days,” said Jess smiling too.

 

They paid for their stuff and left the store. They visited four more stores before deciding to get something to drink.

 

“Any updates on the party?” asked Sam,

 

“I just texted Dean, let’s just wait,” said Jill. A few seconds later her phone rang,

 

“Oh, hi Dean, that was fast… let me put you on speaker,” said Jill,

 

“Hi guys, everything’s going great, I just called Charlie and she says the backyard is looking great and that Bobby already did his weird ritual and the grill is working fine,” said Dean.

 

“You’re not home yet?” asked Sam,

 

“Nope, still at the bakery with Gabe,” lied Dean. Sam rolled his eyes and nodded even though he knew Dean couldn’t see them.

 

“We already finished here, are you sure you don’t want us to go home and help?” asked Cas,

 

“Babe, I’m not making you work on your birthday,” said Dean,

 

“Technically it’s not my birthday yet Dean, that’s tomorrow so I can work today,” said Cas,

 

“Just relax guys, watch a movie or go to a nice restaurant… I don’t know, you don’t see each other every day,” said Dean.

 

“You should join us at least,” said Cas, “why don’t we pick you up at the bakery and we have lunch together?”

 

“That actually sounds great babe but… Gabe’s stupid truck is giving his trouble again and I promised I would take a look; we don’t want it to stop working when he’s on his way to our house with the cake,”

 

“Always the same thing with Gabriel,” said Sam,

 

“Right? It’s like he’s never heard of a vehicle service before, his poor cars,” said Dean.

 

“Well, I guess we’ll have lunch without you; thanks so much for helping my brother, Dean,” said Cas,

 

“Not a problem babe, he’s like a brother to me too,” said Dean,

 

“Well, we’ll call you later man, have fun with Gabe,” said Sam.

 

“I’ll try, see you later guys… love you Cas,” said Dean.

 

“I love you too Dean,” said Cas.

 

 

“Well, Cas... why don’t you pick the restaurant?” asked Sam once they hanged up with Dean.

 

“Gabe told me about this new Japanese place he loved, I’ll call him and ask him where it is,” said Cas.

 

“I’ll do it,” said Sam grabbing his phone. He dialed Gabe’s number and waited for a few seconds.

 

“Hi Gabe,” said Sam, this time without putting the phone on speaker.

 

“What’s up?” asked Gabe.

 

“Yeah, I know I just hanged up with Dean but we forgot to ask,” said Sam,

 

“What?” asked Gabe,

 

“Well since Dean is still busy at the bakery we’re gonna grab lunch with Cas, he says you mentioned this new Japanese restaurant,” said Sam,

 

“Oh, so Dean-O is still not done with his surprise and Cas is sitting next to you,” said Gabe.

 

“Yeah, exactly,” said Sam chucking.

 

“How long does he expect you to distract him?” asked Gabe,

 

“Five,” said Sam,

 

“Good luck with that, he’s gonna find out,” said Gabe.

 

“Yeah, I hope not,” said Sam, “anyway, the Japanese restaurant,”

 

“Oh, yeah… I’ll text you the address; good luck, I’ll see you at the party,” said Gabe.

 

“Thanks man, and good luck with your truck… good thing Dean was there to take a look at it,” said Sam.

 

“I’m gonna call that idiot right now, I need to make sure our stories fit,” said Gabe.

 

“Yeah, good thinking… see you later man,” said Sam, he hanged up and placed his phone on the table.

 

“He’s texting me the address,” said Sam.

 

They stood up and picked up their stuff while they waited for Gabe to text.

 

“Got it,” said Sam after 5 minutes.

 

“Okay, let’s go, I’m starving,” said Jess. Jill giggled and they all walked towards the parking lot.

 

* * *

 

“What time is it?” asked Jack,

 

“3:57 we have an hour,” said Dean,

 

“We’re not gonna make it,” said Rick looking at his computer screen. Garth was sitting at the table working on the LED circuit.

 

“Shut up man, we’re gonna make it… Cas won’t come into this room until tomorrow,” said Garth,

 

“We can keep working while the party is happening downstairs,” said Jack,

 

“Won’t people be able to see the lights coming from the room?” asked Rick.

 

“No, this window faces the opposite direction,” said Dean.

 

“Great, we’re almost done but it’s not gonna be ready in an hour… and you still need to wait for the paint and the glue too dry… not to mention Garth still has to install the circuit,” said Rick,

 

“Okay, I hope you guys don’t mind working while we’re downstairs at the party,” said Dean. He felt a little guilty because he hadn’t invited any of the guys from the telescope club to the party but it was a family thing, except of course for the guys from Kraken and obviously Garth, but they had been their friends for years now and Cas had only been in that telescope club thing for a year.

 

“I don’t mind,” said Jack, “and I’m pretty sure none of this guys mind either, you’re paying us like the triple of what this usually really costs and we’re actually having a great time,”

 

“Thanks so much guys,” said Dean.

 

“I need to hurry up though, I still need to go back home to pick up Bess and my girls,” said Garth.

 

“Crap, that’s true,” said Dean.

 

“Don’t worry… I’m almost done with this, I’ll have it in about 15 minutes,” said Garth.

 

“Okay… everything’s cool… I don’t know how am I gonna be able to relax during the party but, everything’s cool,” said Dean… he wasn’t really sure who was he trying to convince.

* * *

 

“Hi Dean, we’re on our way to drop Jill at Chuck’s… just wanted to check if you need anything from the outside world?” asked Sam on the phone. He was driving so the phone was on speaker,

 

“Yeah, I think we’re gonna need more ice… could you bring a couple of bags,” said Dean. He was sure they had enough ice but he still needed to buy more time and to take a shower because he was sure Cas would totally notice the blue stains on his arms and face,

 

“Okay, then we’ll drop Jill at Chuck’s, stop at the grocery store and I think we’ll see you in about 45 minutes,” said Sam.

 

“Great, I arrived home like 15 minutes ago, I’m gonna take a shower… Bobby is already working on the barbecue; you know he likes to take his time with that stuff… He said Chuck left like an hour ago to help Mike with the kids,” said Dean,

 

“Okay, thanks for the update, see you later,” Sam ended the call and took the longest route to Chuck’s.

* * *

“Dean! We’re home!” Yelled Cas from the front door,

 

“Close your eyes,” said Dean running towards his husband,

 

“Dean, you only put decorations on the backyard, I think I can keep my eyes open inside the house,” said Cas rolling his eyes.

 

“Okay, but don’t you dare looking at your surprise yet,” said Dean; he hugged Cas and kissed him chastely on the lips,

 

“Can I go upstairs? I need to take a shower,” said Cas.

 

“Sure thing,” said Dean.

 

“Hey dude, where do I put these?” asked Sam carrying the bags of ice,

 

“Oh, in the cooler outside, c’mon I’ll show you,” said Dean.

 

“I’m gonna go upstairs too, I need to get ready,” said Jess. Sam nodded and then followed his brother outside.

 

“I could use a nap,” said Jess,

 

“Yes, I think I’ll take a shower and then a 15 minutes nap,” said Cas.

 

“You’re a genius, I’m totally doing that,” said Jess.

* * *

 

When Dean walked into their room 10 minutes later Cas was lying on bed with his eyes closed and only wearing a pair of boxer briefs,

 

“Are you sleeping?” whispered Dean,

 

“I’m going to take a nap, I feel really tired,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, mind if I join you? I’m so fucking tired,” said Dean already climbing in bed next to his husband.

 

“Naps are 100% better when I take them with you,” answered Cas.

 

“I love you,” whispered Dean,

 

“I know,” answered Cas with a smile.

* * *

Cas walked into the kitchen while cleaning his glasses. Dean was already there, cutting some lemons for the tequila shots.

 

“Dear lord, who helped you pick those pants? I need to send them a fruit basket,” said Dean when he saw Cas’ outfit.

 

“Jill and Jess,” said Cas smiling,

 

“Your ass looks amazing, and that button-down… it goes perfect with the color of your eyes,” he got closer to his husband and placed his hands on Cas’s hips.

 

“I’m glad you like it,” said Cas smiling. Dean pulled him and smacked their lips together. The kiss started sweet and innocent but it soon turned into something passionate. To add even more heat to the moment Dean placed his hands on Cas’ ass making his husband moan in surprise.

 

“Jesus!” yelled Sam who had just walked into the kitchen. Cas pushed Dean lightly and blushed when he saw his brother in law looking at them,

 

“Dude, you interrupted a perfect moment,” said Dean almost out of breath,

 

“Yeah, it sounded like it,” said Sam, “and now I feel really concerned about the state of this kitchen,”

 

“Dude, I feel insulted...I’m a neat freak,” said Dean rolling his eyes, “I always clean thoroughly every corner of this kitchen after we do it here,” he added with a smirk,

 

“I could have lived without that information, I’m pretty sure about that,” Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 

“You’re so dramatic,” said Dean,

 

“Yeah, umm… anyway I just wanted to know if you needed help with anything,” said Sam,

 

“Sure since you already interrupted us, help me put the rest of the drinks in the cooler outside,” Dean opened the fridge and grabbed a couple of juice boxes and some bottles of water. Sam followed his example and grabbed the rest of the juices and a big bottle of coke.

 

“We’ll continue this later Castiel Winchester,” said Dean winking at Cas.

 

“I’m counting on it,” answered Cas.

* * *

An hour later the whole family and their friends were gathered in the backyard.

 

“We still need to think about the logistics of course, it’s not easy to move all our stuff to another state and it’s even harder to move 3 kids… we need to plan the ride and look for hotels, it’s a 24 hour drive and there’s no way we’re going to make it with 3 little kids in the car,” said Mike to Bobby and Chuck,

 

“Yeah, driving long distances with kids can be hard… lucky for you now they have those damn iPads and they get distracted for hours,” said Bobby,

 

“Amen for that,” said Mike. He was in a very good mood, apparently going 3 weeks without his wife and kids made him really treasure what he had.

 

“I was thinking son, if you move before the tour starts you can leave the kids with us,” said Chuck,

 

“No dad, they can be a handful,” said Mike.

 

“It wouldn’t be for long, we can work our schedules, you drive them here and then you leave to LA. They can stay here for maybe a week or two and then you can fly here to pick them up or I could fly with them to LA,” said Chuk.

 

“That’s not a bad idea, I could get everything ready in the new house in that time, it would be faster if I’m not busy with the kids,” said Jill,

 

“See? You guys should say yes to that offer; you get to organize your new home and to spend a nice week alone,” said Bobby wiggling his eyebrows.

 

“I’m gonna think about it, we still need to get the house in LA,” said Mike,

 

“I thought you already had decided on one,” said Chuck,

 

“Yeah, but I need to call my realtor and let him know; there’s still a lot of papers to sign and legal stuff to do,” said Mike.

 

“Sounds fun,” said Bobby.

 

“Well, my offer is still there, if you guys move before the tour begins then the kids can stay here for as long as you need. Don’t make that face Michael, the whole family would help me take care of them, I’m not crazy,” said Chuck,

 

“Okay, I’ll think about it,” said Mike.

* * *

“I love the decorations Charlie, thanks a lot,” said Cas when Charlie handed him another beer.

 

“You’re welcome Cas; I can’t wait to see the cake,” said Charlie.

 

“I’m pretty sure Gabe and Dean did a great job,” said Cas.

 

“Well, Gabe didn’t come back with two stitches on his finger claiming that Dean cut it completely, so that’s a win,” said Charlie.

 

“What?” asked Dorothy,

 

“Happened last year; Gabe spent the whole party telling the tragic story of his lost finger,” said Charlie rolling her eyes,

 

“Is he missing a finger?” asked Dorothy confused,

 

“No, he’s just a drama queen… Dean accidentally nicked him on the finger while cutting some strawberries and Gabe went nuts. He came back from the ER whit 2 stitches on his finger and a stupid story of how Dean basically tried to kill him,” explained Charlie.

 

“Sounds fun,” said Dorothy smiling.

 

“Oh, it got better, Bobby pretended he got a piece of Gabe’s finger on his slice of cake and Gabe almost fainted,” said Charlie laughing,

 

“Your family is the best,” said Dorothy.

 

“Wait until Christmas,” said Cas,

 

“Did you just invite me to spend Christmas with your family Cas?” asked Dorothy,

 

“I thought it was implied; you’re part of this family now, which means that you’re invited to all our reunions and celebrations… even if Charlie doesn’t want to join us,” said Cas.

 

“Thanks a lot Cas, that’s really sweet,” said Dorothy. Charlie smiled and held her girlfriend’s hand; she knew the family accepted and liked Dorothy but it was always nice to hear it out loud.

* * *

 

“Oh, and I would totally recommend to get rid of that rug in his room… when we moved in, it was already there and I’m pretty sure that old thing has never seen the sunlight,” said Sam to Jody.

 

“Okay, I just asked if you wouldn’t mind if I changed a few things in the house but I see you have a list,” said Jody laughing.

 

“He never let us change anything about that house, you’re our only hope,” said Sam.

 

“This is my house son, when you have your own house you can nail the freaking chairs to the ceiling if you want, but right now, this is my property and I say the couch stays there,” said Dean imitating Bobby’s voice.

 

“Yeah, if he ever says something like that to me I’m gonna put him on the sidewalk with the couch and the old TV,” said Jody.

 

“I would pay to see that,” said Dean laughing,

 

“I still don’t know how you do it,” said Sam looking at Bobby who was talking with Chuck, Mike and Jill on the opposite side of the backyard.

 

“Man, can you imagine how it would’ve been if Jody had married Bobby when we were kids?” asked Dean,

 

“Jesus,” said Sam.

 

“So, Jody… are you moving in with Bobby soon or are you going to wait until you’re married?” asked Jess,

 

“I’ll probably move in with him soon, I need to empty my house and fix some stuff so I can sell it,” Said Jody,

 

“And also it would be a great exercise to see if you’re really ready to spend the rest of your life living with that man,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, that too,” said Jody laughing.

 

Cas joined them in that moment,

 

“Dean, where have you been? I’ve been looking for you,” he said,

 

Dean held his hand and placed a kiss on top of his head,

 

“I just went to take a leak and then I ran into Jody and Sammy,” said Dean.

 

“I know the place is not crowded but I swear I’ve barely seen you today,” said Cas.

 

“Well it’s your party, I’m pretty sure everyone wants to hang with you,” said Dean smiling.

 

“I guess,” said Cas.

 

* * *

Once Bobby finally finished cooking, everyone sat at the table and ate the delicious burgers.

 

“Thanks,” whispered Cas to Dean’s ear.

 

“What for?” asked Dean,

 

“This, thanks for making this happen,” said Cas,

 

“Dude, it was your idea,” answered Dean. Cas smiled and placed a kiss on Dean’s cheek,

 

“Are you tipsy?” asked Dean chuckling,

 

“A little,” admitted Cas,

 

“Planning on getting drunk tonight?” asked Dean,

 

“Maybe,” Dean smiled and kissed Cas on the lips. Michael, who was sitting in front of them, coughed,

 

“What?” asked Dean rolling his eyes,

 

“Nothing, just wanted to remind you that there’s more people here,” said Mike,

 

“So what? You want me to kiss you too?” asked Dean with a smug smirk. Mike just rolled his eyes.

 

“Guys, don’t start please… we’re having a great time,” said Jill,

 

“Sorry,” said Michael. Dean resumed eating his burger and ignored his brother in law.

 

Sam decided to end the awkward moment by reminding them that it was Cas’ birthday,

 

“Guys, we’re here to celebrate Cas… Dean why don’t you and Gabe go and get the cake?” said Sam,

 

“Yeah, you’re right Sammy,” said Dean standing up; Gabe followed him and they went to get the cake from Gabe’s truck.

 

* * *

 

They sang ‘happy birthday’ while Cas looked at them awkwardly waiting for the song to end. He never knew what to do during the ‘happy birthday’ song.

 

“Thanks guys, I love the cake Dean and Gabe, it looks perfect,” said Cas smiling widely,

 

“Gabe did most of the work,” said Dean,

 

“Blow the candles!” said Charlie,

 

“Make a wish!” said Jess.

 

“I think I have everything I could ask for,” said Cas smiling,

 

“But uncle Cas, you have to make a wish, you only get one in your birthday,” said Tegan,

 

“You’re right, might as well use it, otherwise I would have to wait another year to make a wish,” said Cas smiling at her. He looked at his big happy family, at his friends and he really felt like he had everything he could ask for. He wasn’t sure why but he looked at the twins and then at Tegan and he finally thought:

 

_‘ I just want my nephews and niece to have a long happy life,’_

He blew the candles and everyone clapped and cheered.

 

“Happy birthday babe,” said Dean,

 

“Thanks Dean,”

 

Dorothy and Gabe cut the cake and Tegan helped them delivering a plate to every single guest.

 

“Uncle Cas, can you open the presents now?” asked Tegan,

 

“Okay,” said Cas. Dean helped him place the presents on the table and then Cas picked a small box with green wrapping,

 

“That’s mine,” said Gabriel. Cas opened it and found inside a beautiful set of pens,

 

“Wow, thanks Gabriel,” said Cas,

 

“You’re gonna need those for all the autographs you’ll give during the tour,” said Gabe. Cas smiled at his brother and carefully placed the pens back in the box. Cas kept opening presents; apparently everyone had decided to give him something useful for the tour. Bobby gave him sound canceling headphones and Cas couldn’t thank him enough. He got 5 new pajama pants from Jody.

 

“Charlie helped me pick them, I know how much you love to wear comfortable clothes that help with your sensitivity issues… also, I know how much you love your geeky stuff,” said Jody. Cas was impressed; Jody had bought him Deadpool, Spiderman, batman, Doctor Who and Star Wars pajama pants. He wondered if he could go to the book signings wearing his new pants.

 

Mike and his family got him what Michael had described as “new games for that Nintendo thing you can take everywhere,”

 

To which of course Gabriel said, “Jesus, you really are old.” Cas thanked them for the games; they would be really useful during flights and long drives which happened almost every day on tour.

 

“Who gave you that huge box? Is it Dean’s?” asked Gabe when he saw the biggest box left.

 

“No, that’s mine,” said Charlie. Cas opened it and found inside a beautiful set of new suitcases.

 

“Charlie, thanks so much,” said Cas with a huge smile,

 

“Personalized, with your name discretely embroidered on blue. They also installed a chip and you can download an app to see their location,” explained Charlie.

 

“These are perfect,” said Cas.

 

Sam and Jess’ present was next, a new bag and lens for Cas’ camera, “we want to see all the amazing pictures you take on your tour,” said Jess,

 

“Thanks,” said Cas. He loved how much his family knew him. Chuck got him a beautiful blue trench coat,

 

“You probably won’t need it yet but fall is about to start and we’re going to New York eventually,” suggested Chuck.

 

The next present he opened was from Dorothy, a book with 1550 random facts about every city in the United States of America,

 

“Dorothy, thanks so much,” said Cas,

 

“I thought it would be great for your trip,” said Dorothy. Cas thanked her again and then kept opening presents. Kevin got him a box containing 4 of Cas’ favorite teas. Meg got him a Star Wars Lego set and Cas felt like a little kid again. Tamika got him a Hogwarts bathrobe. Cas felt really happy to see how well his friends knew him.

 

Benny got him a framed picture of Cas, Benny, Ash, Kevin, Tamika, Meg and Charlie standing outside Kraken on their first day at the new office. Cas thanked him and somehow he felt like that was Benny’s way to tell him that it was okay if he wanted to leave Kraken. Ash got him a red Dalek talking plush and the kids couldn’t take their eyes off of it, it was like a magnet.

 

“Can we play with it?” asked Tegan who was sitting next to Garth’s daughters.

 

“Umm,” Cas didn’t know how to say ‘no’ to the kids,

 

“Honey, your uncle is still opening his presents, let’s wait, okay?” asked Jill. Tegan nodded and Cas grabbed the next box from the table, a necklace with a silver bullet as a pendant,

"Thanks Garth," he said smiling,

 

"What's that?" asked Sam,

 

"Garth says it's good luck, he always takes a pendant like this when he goes on a camping trip," explained Cas. 

 

"Nothing bad has ever happened to me when I wear that," said Garth. Cas nodded and placed the necklace back in the little box. When he looked to his left he saw what was the last box from the table; it was Missouri’s, she hadn’t come to the party but she had sent her gift,

 

“Perfect, water color pencils,” said Cas with a smile. He looked at the table again but just as he had noticed a few minutes before, there were no more boxes left; Cas resumed eating his cake and thanked everyone again for the presents.

 

“I’m going to take these upstairs,” said Cas pointing at all his gifts on the table.

 

“Why don’t you put them inside one of the suitcase and I’ll take everything to our room?” asked Dean,

 

“Okay,” Cas carefully placed his presents on the biggest suitcase and then Dean took it inside.

 

15 minutes later Dean returned to the backyard and Sat next to his husband.

 

“Okay, I’m gonna be the one who talks about the elephant in the room… Dean, where’s your present?” asked Gabe.

 

“Gabe!” Bobby smacked him on the back of the head,

 

“Gabriel, Dean paid for this party and he sent Sam and Jess the plane tickets so they could come here today, I think that’s a pretty good present,” said Cas.

 

“I guess,” said Gabe.

 

“Just for your information I did get him a present but it is something special and personal and none of your business,” said Dean,

 

“That’s the point with you two, you always give each other stupidly sweet presents and we all get diabetes while we watch,” said Gabe.

 

“Well, not this year,” said Dean. Cas felt intrigued.

 

“He’s gonna tell us anyway,” said Gabe.

 

“Gabriel, please drop it,” said Chuck.

 

“You’re boring,” said Gabe.

 

“I just want to say that I loved all your presents and I want to apologize because my brother is really annoying,” said Cas,

 

“Amen,” said Bobby.

 

Gabe finally dropped the subject and everyone went back to talk about random stuff.

* * *

Cas was sitting next to Dean on the wooden bench close to the pool, just holding hands and watching their family interact when Jill and Mike approached them,

 

“Hey,” said Dean without letting go of Cas’ hand,

 

“Hi, we’re having a great time guys, thanks so much for doing this,” said Jill,

 

“We all needed it,” said Cas smiling,

 

“Hey, Cas listen… we’ve been thinking, in the new house the boys are gonna have separate rooms and well, we would like Al’s bedroom to be his special place, you know? Colors, textures and toys that help him relax and an environment he can enjoy,” said Jill,

 

“That sounds great Jill,” said Cas smiling,

 

“Yeah, well… we were wondering if you could help us design it; I mean, I know you’ll be super busy with the tour and all that but, there’s no rush, really… we can work on it together, ask you about our ideas and you can be like a consultant if you want,” she said,

 

“Jill, of course I want to help you; I’m gonna have a busy schedule with the tour but I always have time for my family and I want to commit to this project, it sounds amazing,” said Cas,

 

“You’re okay with it too?” asked Dean looking at Michael,

 

“Hey, I want what’s best for my kids; if painting his room a certain color is going to help him have a better life then of course I’m in,” said Mike.

 

“I’m glad to see that you’re accepting Alan’s situation,” said Dean,

 

“It’s been hard but I love my kids… I know I can be annoying and most of the time I look like I don’t have feelings, but my family is the most important thing to me,” said Mike.

 

“We know Mike,” said Cas looking at his brother, “and as soon as you have the measurements of the room we can start working on it, of course I want to help,” said Cas. Jill hugged him and placed a kiss on his cheek,

 

“Thanks Cas,” said Jill,

 

“We’ll probably get the house sooner than we thought, we might be signing the papers this week,” added Mike,

 

“Sounds great you guys,” said Dean,

 

“This year is gonna be so full of changes, I can’t wait to see what’s going to happen,” said Jill.

 

“I’m so happy for you, really… Michael, I know we don’t have the best relationship and that we don’t have much in common, but those kids are one of the few things we both love and care about and we should focus on that, okay?” said Cas,

 

“Yeah,” said Mike with a shy smile.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Garth, Benny and the rest of the guys from Kraken (except for Charlie) had left. Only the family remained at the house. The girls decided to play UNO, while Bobby and Chuck watched a movie with the kids, and Gabe, Dean, Mike, Sam and Cas sat together making small talk and eating what was left of the cake.

 

“So, Dean… now that the rest of the family is busy, why don’t you tell us about your present for Cas?” insisted Gabriel,

 

“Dude, you’re so freaking annoying,” said Dean after taking a sip of his beer.

 

“I’m not annoying, I’m curious,” said Gabe,

 

“I told you, its’ none of your freaking business,” said Dean.

 

“Besides, the present is for Castiel, not for you Gabriel,” said Mike rolling his eyes.

 

“Oh, now you’re all gonna tell me you’re not curious,” said Gabe,

 

“No really,” said Mike,

 

“I’m a patient man,” said Cas,

 

“I already know what it is,” added Sam,

 

“What? You told Sam?” asked Gabe feeling offended,

 

“Dude, he’s my brother and I needed to talk about it with someone, sorry… next year I’ll tell you first, okay?” said Dean with a smirk,

 

“Yeah… next year don’t ask for my help,” said Gabe crossing his arms, “Just tell me, is it something cool and cute and everybody will say ‘awww’ when we see it?” asked Gabe. Dean was getting frustrated and he could see that Cas was getting tired too so he decided to give his brother in law an awkward answer just to shut him up,

 

“Okay then, do you know what anal beads are?” asked Dean,

 

“Dude!” yelled Sam,

 

“TMI man,” said Gabe trying not to blush,

 

“Jesus, Dean was that really necessary?” asked Mike,

 

“Oh, like you know what those are,” said Gabe snorting,

 

“No, but it has that word in it so I’m pretty sure it’s not something you bring casually on a conversation,” said Mike,

 

“I’ll explain it to you if you want,” said Gabe winking at his brother. What had started as Dean’s attempt to annoy Gabe now had turned against Mike.

 

“Oh no thanks, it sounds disgusting,” said Michael.

 

“Dean is joking Michael, I don’t like sex toys, they’re not good when you have sensory issues,” said Cas casually,

 

“Are we really having this conversation?” asked Mike,

 

“It’s Gabriel’s fault,” said Sam.

 

“Yes, Gabriel if Dean doesn’t want to share what he got Cas as a present just leave him alone please, I could have lived the rest of my life without knowing about the existence of those things or the fact that Cas has tried adult toys and he doesn’t like them,” said Mike.

 

“Okay, sorry for asking,” said Gabe.

 

“Can we please change the subject?” asked Sam,

 

“Sure, Michael why don’t you tell us about your new office? Is it as boring as the previous one?” asked Gabriel imitating his brother’s voice,

 

“You’re such a child,” said Mike,

 

“No but really,” said Cas, “you haven’t told us about these past weeks in LA, how is your new job?”

 

Mike didn’t say anything for a moment; he just stared at Cas and nodded. It was obvious that Cas was working on their relationship and trying to be mature. Michael decided to return the favor and for once, have a civilized conversation with his brothers and the Winchesters for more than 5 minutes.

 

“It’s going great. I’m learning a lot and everything is better there than in my previous office… even the coffee is better; I don’t know what it is but it really makes me feel motivated. I miss my family though, being away from them is hard,” said Michael,

 

“That’s cool man… I mean, the job part not the missing your family part,” said Dean. It was an awkward interaction but he was willing to try to have a better relationship with Michael, he knew that’s what Cas needed.

 

“Yeah,” said Michael with a nod.

 

“So… Jill was telling us about the house you want, it sounds great,” said Sam trying to keep the conversation.

 

Cas had received a lot of great presents that day but seeing his whole family making an effort to have a better relationship was definitely his favorite one. Mike spent almost 10 minutes showing them pictures of the house in his phone. Gabe managed to stop making fun of his older brother and even Mike was obviously trying.

* * *

 

After saying goodbye to everyone Cas was sent to his room when he tried to help Sam, Jess and Dean to clean the backyard.

 

He wasn’t that tired and after taking a nice hot shower he was sure he wasn’t tipsy anymore. He put on a clean pair of pajama pants and an old t-shirt that used to belong to Dean, and then climbed into bed with a book in his hands.

 

* * *

 

“Garth, man thanks for coming back,” said Dean walking into Cas’ studio.

 

“Thanks for talking to my wife, I didn’t want her to think that I was going to a bar or something,” said Garth,

 

“You scared of your wife Garth?” asked Rick,

 

“No… but I spent most of my day out of my house and then after the party I dropped them back home and went out again. I just don’t want her to worry,” said Garth.

 

“You’re a great husband man… and an excellent friend, thanks so much for helping me with this,” said Dean.

 

“Not a problem man,” said Garth.

 

Dean thanked them again and promised to be back in no more than an hour.

* * *

After going back downstairs and helping Sam and Jess to clean the backyard he finally joined Cas in their bedroom,

 

“Well, cleaning is easy when there’s a team involved,” said Dean walking into the room.

 

“I feel bad for not helping,” said Cas closing the book he was reading.

 

“It was fast babe and it’s your birthday, I don’t want you doing any chores on your birthday,” said Dean sitting next to his husband on bed.

 

“Technically is not my birthday yet, it’s 11:45 pm,” said Cas with a smile,

 

“Smartass,” said Dean, “Hey…. I’m gonna take a shower; be right back,”

 

“Okay,” said Cas.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it.
> 
> I already have the next chapter finished, so I'll probably upload it next week. Have a nice week guys :) 
> 
> P.S: The angst, the drama and the pain are almost here by the way. Just another chapter and then, everything changes.


	17. Exactly how the stars looked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> September 18th, family breakfast. The celebrations continue. 
> 
> Jess and Sam have good news for everyone.
> 
> Dean has a weird plan to show Cas his birthday present.
> 
> Fluff, fluff, fluff...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm back... sorry it took me this long to post but it's finally here, I hope you like it.

* * *

 

September 18th

 

“It’s officially your birthday!” said Dean walking out of the bathroom. Cas looked at the hour in his phone and was surprised to see that in fact it was midnight.

 

“Well, I’m officially older than you Dean,” said Cas smiling. Dean put on a clean pair of pajama pants and then joined his husband in bed.

 

“It’s okay old man, I think I can live with that,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“Thanks so much for my party Dean, it was great to see all the family gathered again,” said Cas, “that was the best present,”

 

“You’re welcome babe,” said Dean after pressing a soft kiss to Cas’ cheek,

 

“I’m really tired,” said Cas yawning,

 

“We should probably get some shut eye,” said Dean. Cas was a little surprised when his husband suggested going to sleep instead of offering him birthday sex. Dean had been acting weird all day long and for a moment Cas thought he might have a surprise for him or at least something planed for the night but apparently he was mistaken. He was okay with it, he was tired anyway and he really wanted to sleep.

 

“Goodnight Dean,” said Cas turning off his lamp. Dean held him and waited for Cas to fall asleep. 15 minutes later, when he heard Cas light snores, Dean got out of bed and went back to Cas’ studio.

* * *

 

“Dean?” asked Cas when a loud noise woke him up.

 

“Shit,” whispered Dean. He had bumped against the small red sofa by the window while trying to walk in the dark.

 

“What’s happening?” asked Cas rubbing his eyes,

 

“Nothing babe, just went for a pee, don’t worry,” whispered Dean.

 

“Again? Dean you’ve been urinating a lot lately, don’t you think? You spent the whole party going to the bathroom every half an hour,” said Cas concerned.

 

“Cas, I’m fine… I just had a lot to drink at the party,” said Dean climbing into bed next to his husband.

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yeah babe,” said Dean yawning, “let’s go back to sleep, okay?”

 

Cas looked at the clock on his bedside table and noticed that it was only 3:47 am, he still had at least another 4 hours of sleep before having to wake up and get ready for family breakfast at Chuck’s… or maybe, since they were already awake.

 

“Dean, I was wondering… since it’s officially my birthday and we’ve already slept for a few hours and feel a little more rested; why don’t we… Dean?” Dean was sound asleep already. Cas rolled his eyes and pushed Dean lightly to confirm that he was indeed asleep; when he only got a snore for an answer he decided to go back to sleep.

* * *

 

“Morning,” said Cas when he found Sam in the kitchen,

 

“Good morning Cas, oh, and happy birthday!” said Sam while pouring himself a big cup of coffee.

 

“How long have you been up?” Asked Cas grabbing the kettle to make some tea.

 

“Not, long, about 45 minutes,” said Sam after taking a sip of his coffee.

 

“Is Jess awake too?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, she’s taking a shower,” said Sam, “what about Dean?”

 

“He’s still asleep,” said Cas with a shrug.

 

“Busy night?” asked Sam with a smirk,

 

“Not really,” said Cas. Sam decided to drop the subject, Cas looked upset and he wasn’t sure if Dean had been able to finish his present.

 

“So… great party yesterday, it was amazing to see the whole family together again, thanks for inviting us over,” said Sam,

 

“You’re welcome Sam, I had a great time too,” said Cas staring at the kettle as if that action would make the water boil faster.

 

They suddenly hear the sound of someone running pretty fast. When they turned around they saw Dean coming downstairs and looking very pale,

 

“Hi… hi guys, good morning,” he said out of breath, “how long have you been up? Why didn’t you wake me up Cas?” he looked worried,

 

“I’ve been up for about 50 minutes, Cas just came downstairs like 5 minutes ago,” said Sam, he understood why his brother was acting so weird; he was afraid Cas had found his present before it was finished,

 

“I tried to wake you up but you weren’t listening… I guess that’s what you must go through every weekend with me,” said Cas preparing his tea,

 

“Kinda, yeah,” said Dean relaxing instantly when he realized that Cas hadn’t seen the present yet.

 

“Well, I’m going to take a shower and get ready for family breakfast,” said Cas grabbing his tea and walking out of the kitchen. Once they heard the sound of a door closing upstairs Sam looked at his brother with confusion on his face,

 

“Is it just me or did he look upset?” asked Sam,

 

“No dude, that’s just his face before his tea… he’s fine,” said Dean yawning.

 

“What time did you go to bed last night man? Did you finish the present?” asked Sam,

 

“The guys left around 3 am, it’s all done but now the room smells like paint… and I know Cas is gonna hate that freaking smell so I left the windows open and I’m not planning on showing him the room until we come back from Chuck’s so hopefully the smell will be gone by then,” explained Dean,

 

“How does it look?” asked Sam,

 

“It looks freaking amazing man,” said Dean with a grin.

 

“Can I see?” asked Sam,

 

“Be my guest, I’m gonna finish this coffee and then head upstairs to take a shower,” said Dean yawning and scratching his belly.

 

“Okay,” Sam left his cup in the sink, poured a new one for Jess and then ran upstairs to see Dean’s present.

* * *

 

“Hi,” said Jess when Sam walked into the room with her coffee. She was braiding her hair sitting in front of the mirror.

 

“I just saw Dean’s gift for Cas, it looks amazing; Cas is gonna freak out when he sees it,” said Sam with a huge smile.

 

“Don’t tell me what it is, I want to look really surprised when he tells me all about it,” said Jess. Sam smiled at her and placed her coffee on the table in front of her,

 

“Got you coffee,” said Sam,

 

“Thanks honey, but I think I’m skipping coffee today,” said Jess.

 

“Okay,” said Sam.

 

“Everything’s packed and ready to go,” she said, “well, I’m not sure if I grabbed everything from the closet, would you mind checking?”

 

“Sure,” Sam turned around and walked towards the closet. He opened it and made sure that none of their clothes were there, “no, I think you grabbed everything… wait, what’s this?” he grabbed a small white onesie and showed it to Jess without knowing what was going on.

 

“Oh, I forgot to pack that one,” she said with a huge grin,

 

“Wait, Jess… is this? When did you? Are you sure?” he was talking fast and he felt like his chest was about to burst with happiness.

 

“I took a home test yesterday at the mall and then another one this morning… we’re having a baby Sam!” she said standing up and opening her arms to hug her husband.

 

“Oh my God, Jess! We’re going to be parents!” he hugged her trying to be delicate which was turning out to be hard since he could barely contain his excitement.

 

“I’m calling Dr. James tomorrow,” she said between tears.

 

“Oh, Jess you’re crying,” said Sam kissing her forehead.

 

“You’re crying too,” she said with a chuckle.

 

“We’re having a baby!” He said.

 

“I know,” she whispered. Sam placed his hands on her belly and kissed her on the lips.

 

“Should we tell everyone today?” asked Sam,

 

“I don’t know… I was wondering the same, I mean… it’s too soon, usually people wait until the end of the first trimester but, we’re all together this weekend and I’m so happy… I can’t wait to share this with the family,” said Jess.

 

“We can wait, I don’t mind… really,” said Sam.

 

“I’ll think about it, okay?” asked Jess.

 

“Of course,” he hugged her again and they kept talking and making plans until Dean knocked on they door to let them know that it was time to go.

* * *

 

“I’m starving,” said Dean once they were all in the car.

 

“Yeah, me too,” said Sam.

 

“Oh, wait… I forgot something,” said Dean getting out of the car,

 

“What’s wrong?” asked Cas,

 

“Nothing, I just… I gotta pee, be right back,” said Dean running inside the house.

 

“I’m concerned,” said Cas when he saw Dean leaving,

 

“Why?” asked Jess,

 

“He’s been urinating a lot lately. Frequent urination is one of the main symptoms of diabetes. Hunger and fatigue too and yesterday he was extremely tired… today he just said that he’s starving”.

 

“Cas I’m sure it’s nothing,” said Sam, he knew Dean had just ran upstairs to make sure that the windows were open it the studio.

 

“I don’t know Sam… you’ve seen how he eats, he loves pie and food with lots of sugar,” Sam felt guilty and he really wanted to tell Cas the truth but he didn’t want to ruin his brother’s surprise.

 

“I’ll talk to him, okay? You know how he can be, don’t worry… today is your birthday and all you’re allowed to do is relax and enjoy,” said Sam.

 

“I’ll try my best,” said Cas when he saw Dean running back to the car.

* * *

 

When they arrived at Chuck’s, Charlie and Dorothy were already there. Dean said hi to everyone and then ran to the kitchen to help Gabe and Dorothy with breakfast.

 

“Hi Dean, good thing you’re here; apparently Gabe’s phone is too interesting today and I’ve been doing most of the work here,” said Dorothy while flipping a blueberry pancake.

 

“Sorry, sorry… I was catching up with some old friends, let me help you,” said Gabe.

 

“Great, take care of the pancakes… I left the bag of oranges in Charlie’s car,” said Dorothy taking off her apron.

 

“Want me to help you with that?” asked Dean,

 

“Nah, I’ll ask Sam to help me… can you please take care of the bacon?” asked Dorothy,

  

“Sure,” Dean grabbed an apron from the drawer next to Gabe and started working on his task.

 

“Dude, fresh orange juice… she really likes Cas,” said Gabe,

 

“We’re having pancakes and bacon Gabe,” said Dean rolling his eyes,

 

“Gluten free pancakes and homemade veggie bacon,” said Gabe,

 

“She really likes Cas,” admitted Dean. They kept working in a comfortable silence; Dean was still tired after staying up until 3am working on Cas’ present and he was actually enjoying the peace and quiet of the moment. Everything was fine, except for Gabe’s phone constant buzzing followed usually by the Novak’s laughter.

 

“Man, are you giggling?” asked Dean after the phone had buzzed at least 10 times in less than a minute.

 

“What? No… a friend just sent me a meme and it was funny,” said Gabe a little defensive.

 

“Okay,” said Dean.

 

“Hey Dean, I was wondering,” said Gabe changing the subject,

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You know how you told Cas yesterday that you were gonna check my Car? Well turns out you’re some kind of witch or something,” said Gabe,

 

“What’s wrong with her?” asked Dean rolling his eyes,

 

“I don’t know man, keeps doing this weird noise in the…” Gabe’s phone buzzed again, he stopped talking and grabbed his phone.

 

“Gabe?” Asked Dean a little annoyed,

 

“Um, yeah… what were you saying? Sorry,” asked Gabe placing his phone back on the kitchen island,

 

“You were telling me about your car,” said Dean,

 

“Oh yeah, weird noise, and I think there’s something wrong with the brakes,” said Gabe,

 

“Why?” asked Dean. Gabe got another message and didn’t listen to his brother in law, “Dude, who the hell are you talking with?” asked Dean,

 

“Sorry, a friend,” said Gabe, “I was saying, I need to hit the brakes really hard and it takes the car ages to stop completely,”

 

“You should take her to the garage on Monday, that’s not normal… also, when are we gonna meet your new girlfriend?”

 

“What?”

 

“Oh, c’mon, texting every 3 seconds, you have a stupid smile on your face and you’ve been giggling man,” said Dean,

 

“Dean-o, c’mon,” said Gabe pretending Dean was overreacting,

 

“What’s her name?” asked Dean.

 

“Dude, I don’t have a girlfriend okay? Now, are you done with the bacon? Because I’m almost done with the pancakes,” said Gabe,

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re almost done burning that one; guess you were too busy giggling at your phone to notice,” said Dean pointing at a pancake that was turning black in front of Gabe,

 

“Fuck,” whispered Gabe.

 

Dean was searching for a plate to place all the bacon when Gabe’s phone buzzed again. Dean could see a name on the screen this time.

 

“So, Tish,” said Dean wiggling his eyebrows,

 

“Dude, get your stupid perfect nose out of my business,” said Gabe while putting his phone on his pocket.

 

“Jesus, okay,” Dean dropped the subject and started placing the bacon on the plate.

 

“Put them here Sam, thanks,” said Dorothy walking back into the kitchen followed by Sam carrying a bag of oranges.

 

“It smells amazing guys,” said Sam with a huge smile,

 

“It’ll be ready in 10 minutes,” said Gabe,

 

“Great,” Sam turned around and left the kitchen.

 

Dorothy finished squeezing the oranges and then she left to the dining room to set the table with the help of Jess and Sam.

 

Dean finished placing the bacon on the plate and he was washing his hands when Gabriel spoke again,

 

“I met her in the park, the one that’s close to your old apartment… I followed your advice,” said Gabe,

 

“That’s cool man, how long have you been dating?” asked Dean,

 

“Not much, couple of weeks… but I really like her and that’s why I’m not ready to let the rest of the family know,” said Gabe,

 

“Hey, I’m not judging man… When Cas and I got together we didn’t tell anyone,” said Dean,

 

“So, you understand… I like her a lot and I think she does too but it’s been so long since the last time I had a serious relationship, I mean… I’m eventually gonna introduce her to the whole family but I just want to make sure that things are really getting serious first,”

 

“Yeah, I guess 2 weeks is too soon to take her to a family breakfast,” said Dean,

 

“No way I’m asking her to come to this,” said Gabe flipping the last pancake,

 

“Why not?” asked Dean,

 

“Dude, this weekend is about Cas, I don’t want to make it all about me, I’ll introduce her to you guys any other time,” said Gabe.

 

“Okay, no pressure… I’m really happy for you man, I can’t believe a woman is willingly going out with you, but I’m happy,”

 

“Asshole,” said Gabe with a smirk.

 

“I promise I won’t tell anyone,” said Dean.

 

“Thanks.”

* * *

 

Breakfast went great. They talked and joked enjoying their time together. Gabe had baked a pie earlier that morning so they sang happy birthday to Cas again, this time without the candles though.

 

“We’ve eaten so much this weekend,” said Jody, “not that I’m complaining,”

 

“Hey, it’s a celebration… calories don’t count if it’s a party,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Amen,” said Gabe.

 

“This is great guys, really I know it was only a couple of days but I loved spending them with my family,” said Sam.

 

“Thanks again Dean for making this possible, it was an excellent present,” said Cas. He was pretty sure at that point that Dean hadn’t got him anything else for his birthday and he was fine with it; having his family there for the weekend had been the perfect gift, he didn’t need anything else… maybe just birthday sex, but they still had the rest of the day for that.

 

“You’re welcome Cas,” said Dean holding his hand.

 

“Um, guys,” said Jess.

 

“Yeah?” asked Dean,

 

“I know this is Cas’ day and I don’t wanna steal the spotlight… I swear we weren’t going to say anything yet but, we feel like this is the perfect time, you’re all here and who knows when we’ll be together like this again, probably Christmas. So anyway, we’re pregnant,” said Jess.

 

“Oh my God! I’m gonna be an aunt again!” Yelped Charlie and then she stood up and ran towards Jess and Sam to hug them.

 

“Jesus Sammy, 2 days ago you said you were trying and now you’re pregnant… I guess you really were trying,” said Dean with a chuckle.

 

“I just found out yesterday,” said Jill smiling at Dean.

 

Everyone congratulated them and they made a toast with orange juice of course. The family couldn’t be happier.

* * *

 

Eventually after 3 hours of talking about future babies, future book tours, future houses in LA and future plans they all had to go back to the present because it was time for Sam, Jess and Mike to go to the airport.

 

“Daddy, please don’t go,” said Tegan crying.

 

“I have to, Tegan. I need to go to work tomorrow; if I don’t work they won’t pay me and if they don’t pay me then I won’t be able to buy you the new house,” explained Michael,

 

“Okay, but when can we see you again?” she asked wiping her tears.

 

“Soon, probably the next time I see you is because I’ll go to Pierre to help your mom to move all our stuff to the new house,”

 

“Okay,” said Tegan with a nod.

 

“Don’t be sad Tegan, I’ll see you soon and we can Face-Time every day,” said Michael,

 

Jill walked towards her husband carrying a twin in each arm.

 

“Goodbye boys, take care of your mom and your sister, okay?” he said. He ruffled Alan’s hair and then kissed Leonard’s cheek.

 

“Have a nice flight. Call me when you land, okay?” said Jill. Mike kissed her softly on the lips.

 

“Are you ready?” he asked turning his attention to Jess and Sam,

 

“Yeah, let’s go,” said Sam. Gabe would be driving them to the airport so he helped Sam and Mike to put the luggage in the car.

 

“We’re gonna miss you guys,” said Dean.

 

“We’ll see each other soon, Halloween in LA, remember?” said Sam smiling,

 

“Can’t wait,” said Dean.

 

They hugged one last time and then finally Sam, Jess, Mike and Gabe got in the car.

* * *

 

“Mom, are we staying here?” asked Teg about 15 minutes after her father left.

 

“We’re going back to Pierre tomorrow morning,” said Jill. She was planning on driving back that day but Teg looked a little down after Mike left so she decided to stay another day to make her daughter happy.

 

“Can I watch a movie with aunt Charlie and Dorothy then?” asked Tegan with excitement.

 

“Of course,” said Jill. Charlie and Dorothy followed Tegan upstairs after that.

 

“So where were we?” asked Jill,

 

“Leaving the kids here while you move all your belongings to LA and get the new house ready,” said Chuck calmly,

 

“Okay, I’m open to hear more about that… I guess if everyone’s gonna help to take care of the kids it sounds pretty convincing,” said Jill,

 

“Let me get another round of beers for everyone and then we’ll keep talking about that,” said Bobby standing up.

* * *

 

By the time Dean and Cas were on their way back home, Sam and Mike had already texted to let everyone know that each had arrived safely to their cities.

 

It was 7:27 pm and Dean was driving with a smile on his face, thinking about how happy he was for Sam and Jess, he was going to be an uncle again! And of course, even though his new niece or nephew had him in a great mood, what had him really excited was thinking on finally showing Cas his birthday present, he couldn’t wait.

 

Cas felt a little tired, mentally mostly, after spending 2 days surrounded by a lot of people; he loved his family but he couldn’t help it, social gatherings always left him in need of a nap. He already had a plan, and he was hoping Dean had the same idea in mind. He wanted to get home, take a 30 minutes nap and then finally have birthday sex with his husband.

 

Dean looked at his husband and held his hand; Cas looked relaxed and happy… Too bad Dean’s plan required for him to argue with Castiel in order to work. He felt like a douche but he also knew Cas was gonna love his surprise.

 

* * *

 

 

Dean placed the car keys at their usual place and then stretched,

 

“Man, I’m tired,” he said with a fake yawn. Cas stood behind him and wrapped his arms around Dean’s waist,

 

“Me too,” said Castiel, “I was thinking, we could take a nap and maybe after that… do something else,” he kissed the back of Dean’s neck. The Winchester knew he needed to stick to his plan but Cas obviously was in the mood and Dean had to concentrate to keep acting like an oblivious ass.

 

“Oh yeah? What do you have in mind? Maybe we could go to the movies later, after all it’s your birthday,” replied Dean. Cas blinked a couple of times; he definitely wasn’t expecting that answer from Dean. Wasn’t his birthday supposed to be a special day? Hadn’t Dean said he had a special surprise for Cas? Really? The movies?

 

Dean turned around and placed a soft kiss on Cas’s lips,

 

“I was thinking about something else, maybe we could stay home and spend the rest of the evening in bed,” suggested Cas,

 

“That sounds fine too… I mean, if you really are that tired I guess it’s cool if we stay here and just chill,” Dean felt like an idiot; if his plan didn’t work out as he wanted, it would be entirely his fault for playing like that with his husband.

 

“Okay I must be more tired than I thought because apparently my communication skills are not working,” said Cas crossing his arms, “let’s just take a nap and when we wake up we can decide what else to do.” He took Dean by the hand and basically dragged him to their room.

* * *

 

Dean waited next to Cas until he was sure his husband was sound asleep. He got up slowly taking care of not waking him up.

 

Cas didn’t notice of course when Dean left the bed. Dean needed to get ready for their special evening; he grabbed a bag from under the bed and left the room.

Once he was inside one of the guest bedrooms he got naked and looked himself in the mirror,

 

“Straight people think we wanna rule the world and turn their children to the dark side… if they only knew all gay dudes want is the possibility of spontaneous butt sex,” he said to his reflection. He looked at his watch, he didn’t have much time so he took a deep breath and opened the bag he was holding.

* * *

 

When Cas woke up Dean wasn’t in the room; he rubbed his eyes and after grabbing his glasses from his bedside table he left the room.

 

“Dean?” he asked walking towards the TV room where he heard noises,

 

“In here babe,” he answered.

 

“What are you doing?” asked Cas.

 

“Well, since you said you wanted to stay home and relax I was thinking maybe we could watch a movie and then have dinner,” said Dean. Cas sat next to him and kissed him on the cheek,

 

“We don’t have to watch a movie if you don’t want to, we can do something else,” he suggested,

 

“No, it’s cool… wanna watch Deadpool?” asked Dean. Cas didn’t know what to say. Maybe he was still a little sleepy but he was pretty sure that Dean was acting like a kid.

 

“Dean, you know I love Wade Wilson and I’m always in the mood for watching Deadpool, but it’s my birthday…” said Cas, was he being too selfish?

 

“Oh, you wanna pick the movie?” asked Dean handing him the remote.

 

“I… what?” asked Cas surprised.

 

“You pick a movie while I order something for dinner… I’m in the mood for burritos, what about you?” said Dean,

 

“I don’t think burritos are a good idea right now,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, chili then… I don’t know, I’m in the mood for something spicy,” said Dean standing up.

 

“Dean wait!” Dean stopped and counted until 3 before turning around to look at his husband,

 

“What’s wrong? Yon want me to order a pizza instead?” asked Dean,

 

“Dean, are you being serious right now? It’s my birthday and you want us to stay here and watch a movie and eat spicy food, that’s it? That is your big plan for the night?” he knew he was probably overreacting but Dean was being an idiot too and he had all the right in the world to want a special night for his birthday… and if he was honest with himself, he was horny too.

 

“Cas, we just spent a weekend with our family, I thought you might be tired after that… I’m sorry, you wanna go out for dinner or something?” asked Dean, he knew Cas was getting upset.

 

“You’re right… I’m mentally tired, maybe that’s why I’m acting like this, sorry,” said Cas.

 

 _‘Crap, now he’s feeling guilty’,_ thought Dean, he needed Cas to get upset again,

 

“So, you want me to order the burritos then? I mean if you wanna go out we could grab something to eat and then go to the movies or maybe the go-karts or the mini golf, I could ask Charlie to join us,”

 

“No Dean! Damn it… and people say I’m the one with communication problems. Okay, I need to be more direct but then people say that I shouldn’t be that direct because it is rude… it’s just that sometimes people really need to hear the things the way I’m thinking them and…”

 

“Cas, you’re freaking out, breathe,” said Dean; he noticed Cas had started to scratch his hand.

 

“Dean, I don’t want to watch a movie and I don’t want to go out, it’s my freaking birthday all I want is to stay here with you and have a lot of birthday sex with my husband… so I would really appreciate if you didn’t eat burritos tonight because I really, really want to fuck you, okay?” yelled Cas,

 

“O… kay,” said Dean blushing. He loved when Cas took control of things like that. “So what do you want for dinner then?” he asked,

 

“Oh my God! You’re impossible I just told you I want to have sex with you and all you care about is food, are you serious Dean? Order whatever you want for dinner Dean, I don’t care… I’ll be in my studio,” Cas stood up and left the room without looking at Dean.

 

Dean waited a few seconds, turned off the TV and then slowly followed his husband,

 

“Cas, wait,” said Dean,

 

“No Dean, I’m kind of upset with you right now and I don’t want us to fight; I’m going to stay in my studio for a while,” he reached the door of his studio and opened it,

 

“Cas, babe… I’m sorry I was being an idiot, okay? But just listen,” Cas turned on the lights of his studio and immediately noticed something weird. The place looked a little darker and it had a faint smell of paint. For a second he forgot about Dean standing behind him; he hadn’t been in that room for at least a couple of days, what was that smell?

 

When he looked up he noticed something that definitely wasn’t there the last time he checked,

 

“Oh my god,” he whispered,

 

“Happy birthday babe, I’m sorry I was being a douche but I didn’t want to ruin your surprise… I thought it would be cooler if you found your surprise like this, sorry,” said Dean,

 

“So I wasn’t going crazy, you were really acting like a child,” said Cas,

 

“Yep,” said Dean. Cas punched him in the arm,

 

“I deserved that,” said Dean,

 

“Yes you did, you’re lucky I love this so much,” said Cas smiling at him to show him that he wasn’t upset anymore,

 

“So, you like it then?” asked Dean,

 

“Dean, it looks beautiful, when did this happen?” asked Cas.

 

The ceiling was now painted to look like a very realistic replica of space, it looked beautiful and Cas was pretty sure it was accurate too,

 

“Last couple of days, had o lot of help from Garth and the guys from your telescope nerdy club,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, Dean… I love you so much, I’m sorry I yelled at you,” said Cas hugging his husband.

 

“It’s alright babe, I deserved it,” said Dean smiling. Cas smiled and smacked his lips against Dean’s.

 

They kissed for a couple of minutes, passionate and desperate at first and then tenderly and with affection,

  

“Garth showed me this app," said Dean stopping for air, "you write down a date and a location and it can find which stars were above us right in that moment… this right here,” he pointed at the ceiling, "is exactly how the stars looked the moment you were born,” said Dean,

 

“Wow,” said Cas,

 

“I mean, not exactly… you were born in the morning but, like the position of the stars at that time, you know?” said Dean,

 

“This is so beautiful Dean,” Said Cas, “Does it glow in the dark?” he asked,

 

“No… even better, the guys helped me create a LED system, you can actually turn on the stars; here,” he handed Cas a remote, “you can control the lights with this, you can choose to turn on the lights one by one or all of them at the same time,” Dean turned off the light of the room and Cas pressed a big button on the remote, making all the stars in the ceiling illuminate at the same time.

 

“I feel like we’re in a Harry Potter movie,” whispered Cas,

 

“I tried to learn the name of the big stars but I can’t remember any of them to be honest, I just remember something about a Spiral Galaxy… but don’t worry the guys wrote it down for you… you can geek out with this stuff later,” said Dean.

 

“Later?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, right now you’re gonna be really busy because you’re gonna have birthday sex under the stars,” whispered Dean,

 

“I like the sound of that,” said Cas smiling,

 

“You know? I actually didn’t take a nap earlier,” said Dean after placing a soft kiss on Cas’s neck,

 

“And what did you do, then?” asked Cas. Dean kept tracing small kisses all over his neck until he reached his ear,

 

“I was busy getting ready for you,” whispered Dean.

 

“Dean… you have 5 seconds to run to that bed or we’re gonna have to do it right here in the floor, I don’t care,” said Cas unbuttoning his pants.

 

“As tempting at that sounds, I know my knees are gonna thank me later if I make it to the bed,” said Dean. He climbed the stairs and got into bed in record time.

* * *

 

“I’m starving,” said Cas. They were sweaty and trying to catch their breath after the ‘birthday sex under the stars’.

 

“Yeah, me too,” said Dean. He was just resting next to Cas, staring at the ceiling.

 

“Canes Venatici,” said Cas,

 

“What?” asked Dean,

 

“That constellation, is Canes Venatici… hunting dogs in English,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, right… I remember your friends mentioned that,” said Dean.

 

“I love my present Dean,” said Cas.

 

“and I love you,” said Dean.

 

“I love you too,” said Cas smiling.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. This chapter had a lot of fluff and happiness because the next one is when everything goes to hell. Please don't hate me. I'll try to post soon, promise.


	18. There’s no easy way to say this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a month since Cas' birthday. Mike and Jill are finally moving all their stuff to LA so they leave the kids in Sioux Falls with the family. 
> 
> Everything is great and then, life happens...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! I've been super busy lately, this week looks like it's gonna be a little less stressful than the last one so I decided to post today... 
> 
> Please don't hate me, the sad stuff is finally here.

* * *

 

October 19th

 

A month had passed since Cas’ birthday and he was still obsessed with the stars inside his studio,

 

“I’m starting to regret your birthday present,” said Dean opening the studio door. Cas was sitting at his desk drawing.

 

“Hello Dean,” Said Cas smiling at his husband.

 

“You’re in the exact same spot I left you this morning,” said Dean.

 

“What can I say? Being under the stars relaxes me a lot… I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of this,” said Cas standing up.

 

“I’m glad you liked it,” said Dean. He hadn’t told Cas yet about his original present; Cas was so happy with his stars and Dean knew it would be pointless to tell him about the studio in Brooklyn so he decided to drop it after two weeks of trying to find the right moment to tell Cas.

 

“I love it,” said Cas.

 

“Hey, Jill just called me… They finally finished packing,” said Dean. Cas smiled and kissed his husband on the cheek.

 

“I’m so happy for them, it must be awful to be away from your family for so long,” said Cas,

 

“I know, she sounded so excited when she told me,” said Dean.

 

“Well, it took them longer than what they expected but it’s good they’re finally going to be together,” Cas turned around and started cleaning the mess he had left on his desk.

 

“I know… now c’mon husband, I’m starving and you need to get some fresh air, what do you say I make a couple of sandwiches and a salad, you open a bottle of wine and we have a picnic in our backyard?”

 

“Sounds Perfect,” said Cas following Dean to the kitchen.

* * *

 

October 22th

 

“Yeah, I’ll ask the boys to help me with that, I can take my truck so we don’t have to disassemble it,” said Bobby on the phone. He was cooking breakfast with Cas’ help while Dean and Jody set the table.

 

“Chuck is acting like he’s never had the kids at his place before,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“He just want them to have a great time… besides, now that they’ll be living in LA we won’t be seeing them as much as we’re used to. He’s probably freaking out a little,” said Jody.

 

“Yes Chuck, the freaking crib is perfect I build it myself old man, now I’m gonna hang up, I have some people to feed here and you need to take a nap or something,” said Bobby rolling his eyes, “Yeah, see you later… bye,” he hanged up and took a deep breath.

 

“Chuck is going crazy,” said Bobby.

 

“What is it this time?” asked Cas while washing some strawberries.

 

“He suddenly decided to freak out because he thinks now the twins are too big and maybe they won’t be comfortable sharing the crib at his place,” explained Bobby.

 

“They fit perfectly the last time they visited and that was only a month ago,” answered Cas a little confused.

 

“Yes, but your father doesn’t care… Oh, by the way, you two are helping me take the crib we keep upstairs to Chuck’s,” said Bobby,

 

“Not a problem,” said Dean.

 

“Family, we’re home!” yelled Charlie from the main door,

 

“Hi Red, Dorothy… what took you so long?” asked Dean hugging Charlie first and then Dorothy when they walked into the kitchen.

 

“My bad, sorry… I was getting my new pet,” said Dorothy,

 

“Did you get a dog?” asked Cas,

 

“No, a pig,” said Dorothy.

 

“Wow, really?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, I’ve been wanting one of those for ages and Tegan looked very exited when I told her about it; I was supposed to get the pig next weekend so I had to make a few calls so I could get it today, she’s gonna love it,” explained Dorothy.

 

“Awesome, what’s his name?” asked Dean,

 

“It’s a girl… and I’m gonna wait for Tegan to help me pick the name,” said Dorothy.

 

“She’s gonna be so happy,” said Jody.

 

“I know,” said Dorothy.

 

“Okay, breakfast is ready,” informed Bobby.

 

They sat at the table and shared a nice family breakfast.

 

* * *

 

“Grandpa!” Yelled Tegan running towards Chuck on the driveway,

 

“Tegan, how was your trip?” asked Chuck hugging his granddaughter,

 

“I don’t know, I fell asleep,” she said giggling.

 

“Hi Chuck,” said Jill walking behind Alan.

 

“Hi Jill… hi Al,”

 

“He’s the only one who didn’t fall asleep in the car,” said Jill.

 

“Hi dad,” said Michael. He was carrying a sleepy Leonard in his arms.

 

“Hi son, how was the drive?” asked Chuck,

 

“Fine, the road was practically empty,” said Mike.

 

They followed Chuck into the house.

 

“Do you want to take Len upstairs?” asked Chuck,

 

“No, it’s fine… he needs to wake up and eat something,” said Jill. They walked into the kitchen and Jill started working on lunch for the kids.

 

“Grandpa! Our old house is empty now, it looked weird,” said Tegan,

 

“How do you feel about that?” asked Chuck,

 

“I’ll miss our old house… but the new house has a pool!” she said with a huge smile.

 

“You’re gonna be so happy Teg… LA is always sunny and there’s always something to do there,” said Chuck.

 

“Mom says we won’t see you a lot now, because LA is not close like Pierre,” she said looking a little puzzled.

 

“Sweetheart, I promise I’ll visit you when I can… and we’ll see each other on Halloween, Christmas, your birthday… you know, special occasions,” explained Chuck,

 

“You promise?” asked Tegan,

 

“I promise,” said Chuck.

 

“Don’t be sad honey, we’re having lunch with the whole family to say goodbye and you and your brothers are staying here for five whole days, you’re gonna have so much fun,” said Jill handing Tegan a turkey sandwich.

 

“This week is gonna be awesome,” said Teg, “Aunt Charlie is taking me to her office on Tuesday and Dorothy said she has a surprise for me,” said Tegan.

 

“Looks like you already made plans,” said Chuck.

 

“Are you kidding? She’s been on the phone with Dean and Charlie the whole week, they’re taking her to all her favorite places in the city,” said Jill.

 

“Thanks again for doing this dad by the way, it’s a huge help,” said Mike,

 

“Well, we were lucky they moved the dates of the tour; if you had waited another week we wouldn’t have been able to help with the kids,” said Chuck,

 

“We gonna be together for Halloween?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yes Tegan, Uncle Cas, Dean, Charlie and I are flying with you guys to LA a few days before Halloween and we’re gonna stay there for almost a week,”

 

“Awesome!” said Tegan clapping with excitement.

* * *

 

By 1pm the whole family was gathered at Chuck’s. Cas, Gabe and Dorothy were making lunch while Mike, Bobby and Dean moved furniture upstairs to make space for the second crib in the room.

 

Jill and Jody stayed in the living room playing with the kids.

 

“They’re so cute,” said Jody looking at Tegan trying to teach her brothers new words.

 

“Say Jody Len, Jo-dy … she’s our grandma,” said Tegan.

 

“I know, I used to stress a lot but I decided that I want to enjoy every phase of their lives, I just love seeing them change little by little everyday,” said Jill smiling.

 

“I know that feeling,” said Jody.

 

“Mom,” said Tegan,

 

“Yes dear?”

 

“Can we have a dog in our new house?” she asked. Jill didn’t notice when but Berth had joined the kids and now he was resting on Tegan’s lap.

 

“I’ll have to talk to your dad about it honey,” said Jill.

 

“Okay,” she said.

* * *

 

“It’s so cute Dorothy, how old is she?” asked Cas looking at the pictures of Dorothy’s new pig on her phone,

 

“3 months, it’s like a little baby,” she said,

 

“I suddenly feel the need to have one,” said Cas.

 

“You already have one,” said Gabe pointing at their dog who was sleeping under the table and snoring loudly. Dorothy snorted.

 

Bobby and Dean walked into the kitchen and went straight to the fridge,

 

“How did it go?” asked Gabe,

 

“We had to take the couch out of the room but we did it, the two cribs and Tegan’s bed are in the same room,” said Bobby.

 

“Dad’s overreacting a little, the kids are only gonna be here for 5 days,” said Gabe.

 

“Well, he’s excited, that’s all,” said Bobby.

 

“Aww, are you getting emotional too Bobby?” asked Gabe.

 

“Shut up idjit, it’s hard to let go of your kids okay? It’s even harder to know that they’re going to another city and that you won’t be able to see your grandkids that much,” explained Bobby.

 

“Well, when you put it like that,” said Gabe.

 

“That’s why I moved next to your house, so you wouldn’t miss me,” said Dean.

 

“You’re so considerate,” said Bobby rolling his eyes.

* * *

 

Lunch was great; they had a lovely time talking about their childhood. Jill shared her plans for the garden in the new house and they made plans for Halloween.

 

They were all paying attention to Tegan, who was telling them all about her idea for her Halloween costume; they were so busy that they didn’t notice when Alan started throwing his chicken nuggets to the dogs. He found it really amusing and he kept doing it. He wanted his mom to look, it was so interesting and he was running out of nuggets. Why wouldn’t his mom look on his direction? And then it suddenly happened,

 

“Ma-ma,” he said. No one heard him the first time so he tried it again, “mama,” Cas looked at him with surprise on his face,

 

“What was that Alan?” asked Cas.

 

“Ma-ma,” said Alan. Jill turned around in shock and then the little boy threw his last nugget to the dogs. He clapped and laughed at the funny noises the dogs made when they ate.

 

“Alan, did you just talk? Did you just say mama?” asked Jill with tears in her eyes.

 

“Mama,” said Alan.

 

“Oh my god!” Jill stood up and grabbed the little boy from his chair, “you said mama” said Jill.

 

“He wanted you to look at him and he called your name,” said Cas.

 

It took Jill 5 minutes to stop crying. Tegan was scared but then Jill explained to her that sometimes people cry when they’re happy too and she told her the story of her first word.

 

“So my first word was ‘Chuck’?” asked Tegan giggling,

 

“Yeah, you said it loud and clear and it was so cute,” said Jill.

 

“What was my second word?” asked Tegan,

 

“Dada… and then mama,” said Jill.

 

“You used to call me Cash,” said Cas,

 

“Really?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, I loved it,” said Cas ruffling her hair.

 

“But that was a loooong time ago,” she declared, “I’m a big girl now,”

 

“Yes you are, in fact, I was thinking we should probably start drawing marks on the doorframe every time you visit us, what do you think? To see how much you grow between every visit,” said Chuck.

 

“Can we do it now?” asked Tegan,

 

“Sure,” Chuck stood up and grabbed a pen from a drawer. Tegan stood still and waited for her grandfather to draw the mark,

 

“Are you done?” she asked,

 

“Yes, look at that… I’m gonna write the date next to it and now it’s official, we just started a new tradition,” said Chuck. The family clapped and took pictures.

 

“We’re having such a great time, it sucks that we have to leave early,” said Jill.

 

“We have a long trip ahead of us,” said Mike.

 

“I know,” said Jill.

* * *

 

They took their turns to hug and say goodbye to Jill and Mike. Charlie and Jill cried a lot.

 

“I’m gonna miss you girl,” said Dean hugging Jill and placing a kiss on her cheek, “you’re like a big sister to me,” he whispered,

 

“Thanks for everything Dean, I love you guys so much and I’ll see you soon, Halloween remember?” she said while wiping her tears.

 

“Of course,” he ruffled her hair and let her go.

 

“Bye Cas,” said Jill, “can I hug you?”

 

“Of course,” she hugged him and played a little with his hair,

 

“I’m gonna miss you Cas,” she said.

 

“I’ll miss you too; I promise it’s true I’m not just saying it because it’s the socially correct thing to do,” he said with honesty,

 

“I believe you Cas,” she said smiling.

 

Mike wasn’t as sentimental as Jill, especially because he had already moved to LA and he was used to being away from the family but even if he didn’t say it he felt really lucky to have his whole family there.

 

Tegan hugged her mom and Jill kissed her on the cheek,

 

“Have a great time with your grandparents and uncles and aunts, okay dear?”

 

“Yes mom, I promise,” said Tegan smiling.

 

“Remember to help in the house and to be polite,” Tegan nodded and Jill hugged her again.

 

“I’m gonna miss you so much Tegs,” said Jill,

 

“I’m gonna miss you too mommy but I’m gonna be fine,” said Tegan, she was being really brave.

 

Jill hugged Leonard next, “Goodbye Len, take care of your brother and your sister, okay? Have a lot of fun and be a good boy, I love you,” she kissed him and the little boy smiled at her.

 

“Mama,” he said.

 

“I love you too,” said Jill smiling. She placed Leonard on the floor and then picked up Alan,

 

“Al, I’m gonna miss you so much, I love you,” she kissed him on the cheek and the kid stared at her with curiosity, “I’m pretty sure you have no idea what’s going on and I’m probably overreacting but it’s the first time I leave my babies for so long. Be a good boy okay? Take care of your brother and your sister and there’s no rush on anything kiddo, though thanks for saying ‘mama’ today, that’s exactly what I needed to go trough this 5 days without my kids,” she hugged him again and placed him back on the floor.

 

Michael didn’t make it that personal, though it was sentimental in his own way. He squatted in front of his 3 children.

 

“Kids, be good okay? Listen to your grandparents and your aunts and uncles, except Gabriel,” said Mike with a smirk, “I love you and I can’t wait to finally have my family with me again,” he ruffled Al and Len’s hair and kissed Tegan on the cheek.

 

“See you in 5 days daddy,” she said.

 

“See you in 5 days Angel,” he stood up and after hugging Chuck one last time he walked towards the driver side of the van.

 

“Call us when you stop for the night,” said Charlie.

 

“Take care okay?” said Jody,

 

“Love you guys, bye,” said Jill closing her door. They waved at Mike and Jill until they turned left on the corner and they couldn’t see them anymore.

 

“So, who wants pie?” Asked Dean,

 

“ Me!” said Tegan jumping with excitement.

 

“What do you say we teach you how to mak an apple pie from scratch?” asked Gabe,

 

“Awesome!”

* * *

 

 

Dean and Gabe were at the kitchen waiting for Tegan to change into clothes she would obviously get dirty while cooking.

 

“Dude, I need to tell you something,” said Gabe.

 

“What?” asked Dean.

 

“I was having dinner with Tish yesterday and we ran into Naomi,” said Gabe.

 

“Awkward,” said Dean, “and unfair,”

 

“Unfair?” asked Gabe confused.

 

“You introduced her to Naomi first… you haven’t even mentioned to the family that you’re dating someone but Naomi already met her,” said Dean.

 

“Dude, it was an accident… besides I didn’t introduce them; Naomi tried to say hi and she obviously was curious about Tish but I just said ‘good night Naomi,’ and left… I would have called her a witch, but Tish doesn’t know much about the family drama yet,” explained Gabe.

 

“Like I said, awkward,” said Dean, “and when are you gonna bring her home man? Do you know how happy your father would be if he knew you’re not staying all by yourself here when the tour begins?”

 

“I know, I’ll tell him soon… it’s not that easy,” said Gabe,

 

“What’s wrong? Is she 16? Is she a serial killer?” asked Dean,

 

“No, she’s 29 and I don’t know, she could be a serial killer… who cares I really like her,” said Gabe.

 

“Then I don’t get it,” said Dean.

 

“She’s black, okay?” said Gabe.

 

“So what? You haven’t introduced her to us just because of that? What the fuck is wrong with you?” asked Dean,

 

“Dude, this is the whitest family in the city man… we add people to our family and they’re all just wither than the previous one. It’s like the freaking Oscars in here!” Said Gabe,

 

“We don’t do it on propose, I mean… what was I supposed to say to Charlie when she started hanging out with us? You’re cool but you’re too white and we need more diversity in our group?” said Dean.

 

“That’s not what I mean it’s just… do you think we have a racist family?” asked Gabe.

 

“No Gabe, we don’t…” said Dean.

 

“You sure?” asked Gabe,

 

“Gabe, have we ever been rude to any of your girlfriends?” asked Dean rolling his eyes,

 

“What does that have to do with being racist?” asked Gabe,

 

“Let me see, your girlfriend from high school, was she Chinese? Then there was Laura, she was Colombian I’m sure about it… then there was Kali and well now Tish… and we’ve never been rude to any of them,” explained Dean,

 

“Dude, I have a thing for exotic women,” whispered Gabe to himself,

 

“No shit Sherlock,” said Dean,

 

“I hadn’t noticed,” said Gabe,

 

“That’s because you’re not racist and neither is your family,” said Dean.

 

“I’m ready,” said Tegan walking into the kitchen wearing pajama pants and an old t-shirt that used to belong to Cas and looked like a dress on the little girl.

 

“Let’s bake a pie then,” said Dean smiling at his niece.

* * *

 

After baking the pie they went to the backyard to relax and eat the pie. Tegan wanted to play in the pool but it was getting late and it was a little cold outside so Chuck said no. Even though she was a little upset at first she forgot about it when Dorothy mentioned her surprise,

 

“What is it?” asked Tegan,

 

“Oh, I can’t tell you yet but I promise you’ll see it tomorrow,” said Dorothy,

 

“What are we doing tomorrow?”

 

“Well, you said you wanted to see the butterflies so we’re doing that and then we’re driving to Dorothy’s ranch,” said Dean,

 

“Really? Do I get to play with the animals?” asked Tegan excited.

 

“Yeah, we have these new ducklings that I’m sure you kids are gonna love,” answered Dorothy,

 

“I can’t wait!”

 

“You know what we could do today since we can’t go in the pool?” asked Dean,

 

“What?” asked Tegan curious,

 

“Pumpkin carving!”

 

“But you’re not spending Halloween here,” said Tegan,

 

“Doesn’t matter, we can still decorate the house… I mean, if your grandpa agrees, what do you say?” said Dean,

 

“Can we grandpa Chuck?” asked Tegan with a perfect imitation of Sam’s puppy eyes,

 

“Of course sweetheart, this is your house, as soon as we finish this delicious pie I’ll help you get all the decorations from the attic,” said Chuck.

 

“Great, we already have the pumpkins, they’re in Bobby’s truck,” said Dean.

 

“I’m gonna love my week in Sioux Falls,” said Tegan with a huge grin.

* * *

 

Dean answered his phone after a couple of seconds,

 

“Hey Tegs, is your mom on Face-time,” Tegan was finishing with the pumpkins in the kitchen with Cas, Dorothy and Charlie. Dean placed the phone on the table so everyone could see Jill,

 

“Hi mommy!” said Tegan,

 

“Hi Tegs, what are you doing?” asked Jill,

 

“Pumpkin carving!” said Tegan lifting a small pumpkin with a happy face to show Jill her work,

 

“That looks awesome baby,” said Jill,

 

“Where are you guys?” asked Dean,

 

“A gas station close to Casper, Wyoming. We’re gonna stop for the night in Rock Springs, so we still have like 4 hours more to go but I wanted to call before bedtime to say hi to the kids,”

 

“Gabe and Jody are giving the twins a bath,” said Cas,

 

“Well, give them goodnight kisses from me,” said Jill, “what are you guys doing tomorrow?”

 

“We’re gonna see the butterflies and then we’re going to Dorothy’s ranch!” said Tegan,

 

“Sounds like fun!”

 

“Where’s daddy?” asked Tegan,

 

“Went to pay for the gas and buy more coffee,” explained Jill,

 

“Okay, tell him I ate all my vegetables today and that I baked a pie with uncle Gabe and uncle Dean,”

 

“Did you save us a slice?” asked Jill,

 

“I wanted to but uncle Dean ate it all,” said Tegan,

 

“I knew you would say that,” said Jill chuckling,

 

“Hey guys, I gotta go but I’ll text you when we’re in Rock Springs, okay?” said Jill,

 

“Goodnight mommy,” said Tegan blowing a kiss to her mom. They all said goodbye and then she ended the call.

 

“Did you finish your pumpkin?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah,” she said with excitement,

 

“Okay, let’s go outside and see if your granddads and Gabe finished hanging the decorations, c’mon I’ll help you with that,” Dean grabbed Tegan’s pumpkin and then they left the kitchen.

 

“She’s having a blast,” said Charlie,

 

“I can’t wait to see her face tomorrow, she’s gonna lose it when she sees the pig,” said Dorothy.

 

“This is turning out to be a very different weekend,” said Cas with a smile.

* * *

 

“I’m exhausted,” said Dean walking out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.

 

“I know, I had no idea it would be that hard to get the twins to sleep,” said Cas yawning, he was already in bed. Dean put on a clean pair of pajama pants and an old t-shirt.

 

“Hopefully tomorrow they’ll get tired with all the activities we have planned,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, I think that’s what they need, today we stayed inside most of the day, they weren’t tired,” said Cas.

 

“Your dad is a brave man; offering himself as a babysitter the week before starting the tour… respect,” said Dean climbing into bed next to his husband.

 

“The tour,” said Cas with a sigh,

 

“You okay?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes, I already packed most of my stuff and I feel more relaxed because you’re gonna be with me the first week… I guess I just can’t help but stress even a little, it’s in my nature,” said Cas,

 

“Well, it is in my nature to take care of you so don’t worry, okay?” said Dean placing a soft kiss on Cas’s cheek.

 

“Thanks Dean,” answered Cas. He took off his glasses and placed them on the bedside table.

 

“Goodnight babe,” said Dean,

 

“Goodnight Dean,” replied Castiel.

* * *

October 23rd

 

“Cas c’mon we’re gonna be late!” yelled Dean from the door,

 

“It’s not my fault, my husband insisted on having Sunday sex even though he knew we were running late,” answered Cas from the stairs,

 

“I didn’t hear you complaining about it,” said Dean chuckling. Cas stood next to him and kissed him on the lips,

 

“I’m not complaining,” said Cas.

 

Dean managed to be on time at Chuck’s. Dean helped Gabe with Breakfast for the grown ups and Tegan, while Cas helped Chuck feed the twins.

 

“Strawberries and Watermelon for Al,” said Chuck handing a small star wars plate to Cas,

 

“I see you’re not in a mood for an argument with your grandson,” said Cas smiling,

 

“It’s too damn early for that and we both now he would win anyway,” answered Chuck.

 

“You’re right,” said Cas.

* * *

After breakfast (and changing Leonard’s clothes because he managed to make a mess with his breakfast), they drove to the Sertoma Butterfly House. Since the whole family was going, they took Chuck’s minivan.

 

They had a great time. The twins were a little scared at first but after a few minutes they were having fun and enjoying the place as much as their sister. Dorothy and Tegan were amazed by Cas’ ability to remember all the names of the butterflies.

 

“You’re a genius uncle Cas, you really knew all the butterflies,” said Tegan when they were leaving the gift shop.

 

“I was obsessed with butterflies when I was a kid so I used to read a lot of information about them. Bobby used to bring us here all the time, I loved it,” explained Cas.

 

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

 

“We can come back the next time you visit Sioux Falls,” said Cas.

 

“Yes!” she jumped with excitement and ran towards Charlie to tell her the good news.

* * *

 

The drive to Dorothy’s ranch was quiet. The kids were napping, tired from their morning at the butterfly house. Gabe spent most of the time texting and Dean just rolled his eyes every time he saw his brother in law smiling at his phone.

 

“Tegan, we’re here… wake up honey,” said Charlie to her niece. Tegan opened her eyes and yawned.

 

“Horses!” she said when she looked at the window. They could see 3 horses playing half a mile away.

 

“You wanna see them? I bet Dorothy can teach you how to ride one.

 

“Really?” asked Tegan.

 

“Yeah, c’mon let’s go,” said Charlie while helping Tegan to get out of the car.

* * *

The ranch was beautiful and huge. Cas had heard about it but he had no idea of how big it was.

 

“Dorothy, this place is amazing,” said Cas.

 

“What did you say your father did? This place must’ve cost a fortune,” said Dean.

 

“Dean,” said Cas. Dorothy just chuckled.

 

“This ranch has been in the family for a few generations,” said Dorothy, “It belonged to my great grand father, he was a doctor,” she explained; “my dad was an English teacher and a writer; not the most profitable careers but this place gave him enough money for us to have a good life.

 

“Awesome,” said Dean.

 

“Dorothy, can we see the horses and the cows?” asked Tegan.

 

“Sure, but first I have a surprise for you, remember?” answered Dorothy,

 

“What is it?” asked Tegan.

 

“I have a new pet and I was thinking maybe you could help me pick her name,”

 

“You got a puppy?” asked Tegan with a grin.

 

“A pig,”

 

“Oh my God! Can I see her? Can I play with her?” Tegan was so excited.

 

“Sure, c’mon it’s inside the house, follow me guys,” said Dorothy. The group followed her into the big house.

* * *

They were having dinner in the dinning room when Jill called. Cas answered and placed his iPad on the table so everyone could see.

 

“Mommy! Daddy!” said Tegan.

 

“Hi Tegs, how was your day?” asked Jill with a smile.

 

“It was the best day ever! We went to the butterfly house and now we’re at Dorothy’s ranch… I rode a pony, I played with a cow, the twins fed the ducklings and I helped Dorothy name her new pig!” answered Tegan happily.

 

“Sounds like you’re having the time of your life,” said Jill, “how did you name the pig?”

 

“Peggy… like Peggy Carter,” said Tegan.

 

“I love it,” said Jill.

 

“Are you kids behaving?” asked Mike.

 

“Yes daddy, I ate all my vegetables today,” said Tegan.

 

“That’s my girl,” said Mike.

 

“Where are you guys?” asked Dean,

 

“A small coffee in Las Vegas,” said Jill.

 

“Awesome, are you spending the night?” asked Dean.

 

“No, we’re only 4 hours away from LA, we would rather keep driving so we can be home tonight,” said Mike.

 

“I can’t wait to see the new house,” said Jill.

 

“You have to text us when you get there and send a lot of pictures,” said Charlie.

 

“Obviously,” said Jill.

 

“Mom, I want the room with the biggest window, okay?” said Tegan.

 

“Of course baby,” said Jill, “how are your brothers?”

 

Alan was sitting on Cas’ lap and Chuck had Leonard.

 

“They just had dinner. I think they’re gonna fall asleep fast tonight, they’ve had a blast today,” said Chuck.

 

“Do you have pictures? I wanna see them playing with the animals, thanks so much for inviting them to the ranch Dorothy,” said Jill.

 

“I’ll send you the pictures,” said Charlie grabbing her phone.

  

“It’s nothing Jill, I love having them here… this place usually feels too big and I love having company,” said Dorothy.

 

“Thanks again,” said Jill.

 

“We should probably go, we just wanted to see the kids before bedtime. You’re all probably gonna be asleep when we get home but we’ll text,” said Mike.

 

“We’ll call you in the morning Tegs, okay?” said Jill.

 

“Okay mom, good night,” said Tegan.

 

“I love you sweetheart, and I love you too my boys, I miss you so much,” said Jill.

 

“Take care kids, be good with everyone okay?” said Mike.

 

“Bye mommy, bye daddy,” Tegan blew them a kiss.

 

“Bye guys, talk to you in the morning,” said Cas. Jill waved goodbye and then the screen went black.

 

“I can’t wait to see my new room,” said Tegan.

 

“It’s gonna look great, I’m sure,” said Gabe ruffling Tegan’s hair.

 

* * *

 

After dinner and watching a movie, they headed back to Chuck’s.

Jill and Charlie said goodbye and then drove in Charlie’s car to her apartment. Dean and Cas helped Chuck with the kids and then left to their home too.

* * *

 

October 24th

 

Once they were home, Cas decided to send e-mails and make sure he had everything ready for his meeting next morning. It would be his last official day at Kraken before the tour. He had agreed with Benny he would wait until the tour was over to decide if he wanted to go back to work or not; still he wanted to leave everything in order and make a good job at the meeting. He was so busy working in his studio that he was actually surprised when his phone rang and Jill’s picture appeared onscreen.

 

“Hello?” he answered,

 

“Hi Cas, we’re home!” said Jill,

 

“That’s great, everything in order?” asked Cas,

 

“Yes, everything is perfect, the house is beautiful,” said Jill, “hope you don’t mind I called you; I saw you were online on Facebook and I figured you would still be up working,”

 

“Yes, I have my last meeting tomorrow at Kraken before tour,” he said.

 

“You’re gonna be fine Cas,” she said.

 

“I hope so… what are you doing right now?”

 

“Looking for the box with the bed clothes. Our bed is already here but we need sheets and all that stuff. Mike is in the kitchen trying to make tea,” Cas looked at the hour, it was 1:30 am in Sioux Falls, 11:30 pm in LA, they were probably gonna drink some tea and unpack a few things before going to bed.

 

“I can’t wait to see what you do with the house, it’s gonna look beautiful,” said Cas.

 

“I have a lot of ideas, this is the house of my dreams Cas… I love it,” she said.

 

“I’m so happy for you,” said Cas.

 

“Hey, Jill… I can’t find the electric kettle, I’m gonna boil the water in the stove, okay?” Cas heard Mike shouting,

 

“Yes honey,” answered Jill.

 

“He doesn’t get my system,” she told Cas, “I have every box labeled and carefully ordered but he doesn’t read, he just opens boxes and hopes to find things,” she said chuckling.

 

“Sounds like my brother,” said Cas.

 

“Jill! The stupid stove is not working… are you sure you want to drink hot Tea? We still have some sodas from the road!” yelled Mike,

 

“He’s a mess, I don’t know how he managed to live on his own all this time… I better go Cas. Give a big kiss to my babies when you see them, okay? I love you and you’re gonna do great in your meeting,” she said.

 

“Thanks, good luck with Mike, he’s probably just tired,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, I was planning on unpacking tonight but you’re probably right, he drove almost 13 hours today, he must be tired. I’m gonna make the bed and go to sleep in my brand new house,” she said.

 

“Good night Jill, I love you,” said Cas.

 

“Love you too Cas, say hi to everyone.” She said. Cas finished the call and then turned off his computer. It was late, he needed to follow Jill’s example and go to bed.

* * *

Dean was asleep when Cas climbed into bed,

 

“You have everything ready?” asked Dean yawning,

 

“Yes, everything’s fine,” said Cas. He placed a kiss on Dean’s lips and Dean opened his arms to hold his husband, “Jill called me, they are in LA and she sounded really happy,” said Cas,

 

“I’m happy for her,” said Dean.

 

“We should sleep, I love you,” said Cas.

 

“Good night babe, love you too,” said Dean.

* * *

“There’s a coke and a Dr. Pepper… and a bottle of water,” said Mike walking into the living room a few seconds after Jill finished talking to Cas.

 

“Water is fine,” said Jill taking the bottle from Mike’s hands,

 

“Are you sure? I could drive to the store to get you a hot tea or a coffee if you want,” said Mike,

 

“Nah, it’s fine… I’m really tired to be honest; I don’t want to unpack all this stuff on zombie mode. Let’s make the bed and go to sleep; we’ll take care of this in the morning,” She opened her bottle of water and took a big swig.

 

“Yeah, you’re probably right… we also need to find someone to fix that freaking stove, I think they didn’t install it right,” he complaint.

 

“In the morning, everything in the morning… I’m tired and you must be even more after all the driving, c’mon I already put your toothbrush in the bathroom, let’s go,” she pushed him playfully to their bedroom.

* * *

 

“Goodnight,” said Jill. The bed was finally made and they had already washed their faces and brushed their teeth.

 

They got into bed and Mike placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

 

“Good night honey,” he said.

 

“Tomorrow we start a new chapter in our lives,” she said with a smile.

 

“Can’t wait,” said Mike.

 

Unfortunately there would be no new chapter for them after that night.

* * *

 

“Okay so see you at Chuck’s at 2 pm, good luck at your meeting babe,” said Dean. They were parking outside Kraken.

 

“Thanks, I feel weird… I have this feeling, I don’t know how to describe it but I guess I’m kind of anxious,” said Cas.

 

“Everything’s gonna be fine Cas, you’re gonna give a great presentation and you’ll have Tamika and Meg to help you. Think about it like this, just a little annoying meeting with all the design department but after that you’re free and we’re spending a nice relaxing week before tour,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, you’re right, I love you, see you later Dean,” Cas hugged his husband and then got out of the car.

 

Dean waved at him and then drove to the garage.

* * *

 

 

“Grandpa, why don’t you go to work like all the adults?” asked Tegan while having breakfast with Chuck, Gabe and the twins.

 

“Well, because my job is a little different, I’m a writer, I write books so I can work from home, all I need is a computer and inspiration and I can work anywhere,” said Chuck.

 

“Do you like your job?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yes, I love it… wanna know the best part?” asked Chuck.

 

“Yeah,” she said,

 

“I get to work on my pajamas,” said Chuck smiling. Tegan giggled.

 

“I thought the best part was all the money you make,” said Gabe.

 

“No, definitely the pajamas,” said Chuck.

 

“Grandpa, can we call mom?” asked Tegan,

 

“Tegan, it’s 9:20 am here, which means it’s 7:20 am in LA, your parents are probably still asleep,” said Chuck.

 

“Your mom said she would call,” said Gabe,

 

“Okay,” said Tegan a little disappointed.

 

“C’mon finish your breakfast and then we’ll watch a movie,” said Gabe. Tegan nodded and resumed eating her oatmeal. 

* * *

 

 

After a meeting that felt eternal for Cas he was ready for a little vacation. It had been weird to say goodbye to Kraken and leave everything to Meg and Tamika. It was obvious that it would happen at some point, he always knew, but it still felt weird.

 

“What’s in your mind?” asked Charlie while they were driving to Chuck’s,

 

“Today was weird, I’m going to miss Kraken but at the same time I feel happy and free,” said Cas.

 

“I know you love the place but you did the right thing, you need to focus on one thing only. Besides you can come back, this is just like a sabbatical, right? So don’t worry Cas. You won’t have time to think about Kraken when you start the tour.

 

“Yes, you’re probably right,” said Cas.

 

They parked outside Chuck’s and saw that the impala was already there.

 

“Family, we’re home!” said Charlie when they opened the door.

 

They found the family gathered at the living room.

 

“Oh, thank God you’re here, I have no idea how to braid hair,” said Gabriel who was making a mess with Tegan’s hair.

 

“Uncle Cas, save me,” said Tegan giggling. Cas laughed and happily sat next to his brother to help with Tegan’s hair.

 

“Talking about hair, we’re gonna have to take the boys to see Missouri, remember? I’ll call her later to make an appointment,” said Dean ruffling Alan’s hair.

 

“I insist, they look cute like this,” said Charlie.

 

“Yeah, but Mike doesn’t like it, you know how he can be,” said Dean. Charlie nodded and took Leonard from Chuck’s arms.

 

“Are you ready for lunch guys? We’re going to an awesome pizza place,” said Charlie sitting on the floor to play with Leonard.

 

“Can we call mommy and daddy first?” asked Tegan.

 

“You haven’t talked to them yet?” asked Charlie.

 

“Nu-uh,” said Tegan,

 

“I’m sure they’re probably busy unpacking all their stuff and making sure that everything’s ready in the new house,” said Gabe.

 

“I tried calling them but no answer,” said Chuck, he looked a little worried.

 

“That’s weird… I texted Jill this morning but she didn’t reply either,” said Charlie, “I was promised some pictures,” she crossed her arms.

 

“I’ll call her again,” said Dean. He dialed Jill’s number but he didn’t get an answer, then he tried with Mike’s phone but it was the same.

 

“I’m sure it’s probably nothing,” said Chuck but he looked nervous.

 

“Yeah, you’re right, maybe they’re busy,” said Dean.

 

“Tegan’s hair is ready, we can go now if you want,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, wait you haven’t told us about your last day at Kraken,” said Chuck.

 

“We’re not sure yet if it was my last day, I could go back after the tour,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah, right,” said Gabe rolling his eyes, “so, how was it?”

 

“It was a little stressful, we had a meeting and we made an official announcement so now Meg and Tamika are in charge of the design department.”

 

They kept talking for about 15 minutes until Tegan reminded them that she was hungry. They said goodbye and finally left to the restaurant.

* * *

 

Chuck loved the kids but he was tired so as soon as they left he went to take a nap. Before falling asleep he tried calling Mike and Jill again but again, neither o them answered. He was worried, it was almost 3 pm and they hadn't call, not even once and they weren't picking up their phones. Maybe they were busy, unpacking and moving to a new house wasn't easy... maybe they were just too distracted to remember about the phone... they would probably cal before bedtime like they had been doing since they left.

 

Chuck fell asleep trying to avoid the weird felling telling him that something was wrong.

* * *

 

By the time they returned to Chuck's the kids were already sound asleep. Cas, Dean and Gabe took them upstairs while Charlie and Chuck made coffee.

 

"They look exhausted what did you do?" asked Gabe while helping Teg change into her pajamas.

 

"Pizza and then took them to the park; there was a special event for babies and toddlers, they had a blast... and I learned that cartoons for kids nowadays are creepy as fuck," said Dean.

 

"I don't understand the pink pig with the eyes on just one side of her face," said Cas while placing Alan on his crib.

 

"Peppa pig?" said Gabe,

 

"Yes, that one," said Cas.

 

"Kids love that show," said Dean. They made sure the kids were still asleep and then left the room.

 

"Well I find it very disturbing, I think cartoon were better when I was a kid," said Cas.

 

"If I ever have kids I will only show them the good stuff, only old school movies and cartoons," said Gabe.

 

"You would have to keep them away from the internet but it actually sounds like a great idea," said Dean. 

 

Charlie and Chuck were placing a tray with coffee and cookies on the coffee table when Cas, Gabe and Dean walked into the living room.

 

"Perfect timing," said Gabriel.

 

He took a sit and grabbed a cookie.

 

"Have you heard from Mike and Jill?" asked Dean sitting next to Cas.

 

"No, and i'm starting to worry..." said Chuck,

 

"Maybe we could call to Chuck's office, I think he-"

 

Cas was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

 

“I’ll get it,” said Chuck; he stood up and left the room.

* * *

 

 

“Jody?” said Chuck when he opened the door.

 

“Hi Chuck… we need to talk,” she said with a serious expression.

 

“What’s wrong?” asked Chuck.

 

“I’m here in official business Chuck,” she said. Chuck noticed that she was wearing her uniform.

 

“Come in, please,” she followed him inside to the living room.

 

“Jody?" asked Dean,

 

"Oh, you're all here, I guess it's better that way, I need to talk to you guys," she said looking nervous,

 

"What’s wrong? Is Bobby okay? I just saw him at the garage today, he seemed fine,” said Dean clearly worried.

 

“No, Bobby is fine, I… this is one of the moments when I hate my job, listen there’s no easy way to say this,” she took another deep breath, “I just got a call from the LAPD,”

 

“Jody, what happened?” asked Chuck,

 

“There was an accident, a gas leak… Jill and Mike,” Jody started crying,

 

“Jill and Mike what?” asked Gabe.

 

“They didn’t make it… it happened while they were asleep so they didn’t notice. The official term is poisoning from carbon monoxide,” explained Jody. Dean felt a few silent tears rolling down his eyes; Gabe and Charlie started sobbing, which was a natural response… Cas and Chuck were very silent.

 

“Are they sure?” asked Cas after a few seconds, “are they sure it’s them?”

 

“The guys from the cable company found them, they arrived at their home at 8 am… they saw a person on the living room floor when they looked through the window. They called 911 but there was nothing they could do,” explained Jody. She sat next to Gabe and hugged him.

 

“How do they know it’s them?” asked Cas. It was like he refused to believe it without tangible evidence.

 

“Their ID’s were at the house Cas, they compared the pictures,” said Jody.

 

“It doesn’t make sense, why would they call you? Their ID’s probably still say that they live in Pierre, not here… it must be a mistake,” said Cas.

 

“Babe,” whispered Dean.

 

“They found Mike’s badge from work; they called his office and they wanted to call his emergency contact but it was Jill… they knew their family lived here so they told that to the police,” explained Jody wiping her tears.

 

“Why didn’t they call us then? If they found their phones they could have called us,” insisted Cas,

 

“I don’t know Cas, I guess they didn’t want to give you this kind of news on the phone,” said Jody. Cas just nodded.

 

“What do we do now?” asked Dean, “Do we need to recognize the bodies? If it’s them… what do we need to do to bring them here? And their stuff? What do we do? Oh my god, the kids,” said Dean and then he covered his mouth with his hand.

 

Charlie just kept crying hugging her knees. 

Cas looked at his family, all the pain. He knew Dean was trying to be strong for the family. He knew Chuck hadn’t said a word since Jody told them the news… but he didn’t know what to feel; he understood, Mike and Jill weren’t part of the living anymore, they were gone and he would never see them again. He would miss them, especially Jill; she was such a good friend, almost like a big sister. He hated to see his family in pain, it was like when Naomi left, except 100 times worst.

 

He wondered for a moment if it was wrong to think he would miss Jill more than he would miss Mike.

 

“Cas, babe… you with me?” asked Dean; he was holding Cas’ hand. Cas saw in slow motion how his husband talked to him and saw him with worried eyes, “Cas, you’re not breathing,” said Dean. Cas blinked a couple of times and then he realized what his husband was saying. He knew he was on the verge of a shutdown but he also knew it wasn’t a good time for it; he had to think about his family. He took a painful deep breath and then nodded.

 

“Sorry,” he whispered,

 

“Don’t apologize,” said Dean with a sad smile. He hugged Cas. Cas could feel Dean shaking and leaving a wet spot on his shoulder.

 

“I’m flying to LA,” said Chuck finally.

 

“Chuck, are you sure? You don’t have to man, I can do it, Bobby or Jody could go with me,” said Dean,

 

“Yes Dean, I need to see with my own eyes,” said Chuck.

 

“I’m coming with you, ” said Jody, “I’ve been there before, you know? I know what it’s like… and the rest of you need to stay here and take care of the kids,”

 

“Yeah, okay… I umm, the tickets,” said Chuck feeling numb.

 

“I’ll get them, I’ll buy them online I just need your credit card,” said Charlie between sobs.

 

“Here,” Chuck handed her his wallet and then left the room.

 

“I’m gonna go pack some stuff and call Bobby,” said Jody, “are you guys gonna be fine?”

 

“I don’t know,” said Cas.

 

“Can you tell Bobby to meet us here and bring food?” asked Dean.

 

“Sure,” said Jody.

 

“How are we gonna tell Tegan?” asked Gabe,

 

“Together, as a family,” said Dean.

 

“But, are we gonna tell her the truth?” asked Gabe,

 

“What’s the point on hiding it?” asked Cas.

 

“You’re right,” said Gabe.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about that... but we all knew it was going to happen eventually. 
> 
> To be honest I thought about this while I was writing the first part of this series and at the time Jill wasn't a big part of the story but after a while I started to like her and it was really hard to take her out of the story.
> 
> It also was hard to find a way to kill them... a car accident seemed too obvious since they were driving to LA. 
> 
> A few weeks ago I was in the bus on my way back home from work when I found an article about a family that had died on their hotel room while they were sleeping because they left one of the stove knobs opened... it seemed like such a tragic death but somehow it had a little comforting part: at least they died on their sleep and did't suffer. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, I'm sorry for the angst and iI promise to post soon.


	19. One day at a time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They're all still processing. Life needs to go on and decisions need to be made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the sadness ...

* * *

 

October 25th

 

It felt like all of them were just a bunch of scared kids; Bobby of course assumed the role of the adult in charge, the parent. He had forced Cas and Gabe to eat. He had helped to explain the situation to Tegan and he had even held Charlie when she woke up crying after a nightmare that felt way too real.

 

They were still at Chuck’s, after Chuck and Jody had called around 1am to confirm the news it all had turned into making calls and arrangements to give the final goodbye to Mike and Jill.

 

“Jody says they’re releasing them around noon,” said Bobby. He was cooking lunch while the rest of the family sat around the kitchen table.

 

“The guy at the funerary home has everything ready, I also called father Simmons and I think we have everything we need for the service,” said Dean. Cas was sitting next to him braiding Charlie’s hair.

 

“Thanks Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Food is ready, Gabe, can you get Tegan?” asked Bobby.

 

“Yeah,” Gabriel stood up and went upstairs to look for his niece.

* * *

 

“Tegan, your grandpa Bobby made lunch, wanna join us?” asked Gabe when he found Tegan in the TV room.

 

“But I’m watching cartoons,” said Tegan.

 

“I know honey but you need to eat and we want to be together as a family,” said Gabe,

 

“Okay,” she turned off the TV and followed Gabe.

 

“How are you feeling?” he asked,

 

“I’m bored,” she said. Gabe didn’t know what answer was he expecting. It was obvious that Tegan understood the situation in general terms, her parents had an accident and they were in heaven now; but even though she was sad and had cried a little, she was acting pretty normal, in fact she was taking it better than the rest of the family.

 

“What do you wanna do?” asked Gabe.

 

“I don’t know, but we have been inside the house for hours. You said we were going to the park,” she said while they walked into the kitchen.

 

“I’m sorry kiddo, we’re all just kinda sad and not in the mood,” said Gabe.

 

“I’ll take you for ice cream after lunch Tegan,” said Bobby,

 

“Thanks grandpa,” she said with a smile.

* * *

 

It was a silent lunch, and just like he promised, Bobby took Tegan for ice cream right after. They sat at a bench in the park and fed the ducks.

 

“Grandpa Bobby?” she said after a while.

 

“Yes kiddo?”

 

“Uncle Dean once told me that he and uncle Sammy didn’t have a mommy and a daddy anymore so you became his new dad,” she said,

 

“Yes, I did; I adopted them,” explained Bobby,

 

“What happened to their mommy and daddy? Did they go to heaven too?” Bobby took a second to answer... he wasn’t in the mood to tell her the whole story and if he was honest with himself, John Winchester had died the same day Mary Winchester did… that was a fact.

 

“Yes honey, they went to heaven,” answered Bobby finally.

 

“And they didn’t come back?” asked Tegan.

 

“No kiddo, once you go to heaven is forever, you can’t come back, I’m sorry,”

 

“But, who is gonna take care of us now? Are we gonna get a new family? I don’t want a new family, I love my family,” she started crying and Bobby hugged her. Poor kid thought they were taking her away from her whole family, she was scared.

 

“Tegan, listen… Sam and Dean came to live with me because they didn’t have a family anymore. No uncles, no aunts or grandpas, nothing… so they needed a new family… But you have a big family that loves you sweetheart, you and your brothers are gonna stay with us, we’re your family and we’re gonna take care of you,” said Bobby.

 

“You promise?” asked Tegan,

 

“I swear, we still need to figure this out, this is something we didn’t plan and we weren’t expecting, we’re all just as scared as you are baby but don’t worry, we all want what’s best for you and the twins,”

 

“Okay, thanks grandpa Bobby,” she said wiping her tears.

 

“Now, what else do you wanna do?” asked Bobby.

 

“I wanna go back to Grandpa Chuck’s house… I need to tell my brothers that we’re not getting a new family,” said Tegan. Bobby hugged her again and after they finished their ice creams they drove back to Chuck’s.

* * *

 

“How are you doing?” asked Dean when he found Cas resting on a couch in the TV room.

 

“Tired,” answered Cas,

 

“Wanna take a nap?” asked Dean.

 

“We should go home, poor Nik is alone since yesterday,” said Cas.

 

Dean knew Cas was mentally tired, probably fighting a meltdown and of course, missing his home.

 

“Sure thing babe, let’s just wait for Bobby to come back, see if he needs help with anything and then we can leave,” said Dean.

 

“Thanks,” said Cas. Dean sat next to him and held his hand. Cas turned on the TV and started surfing channels.

 

“What the hell?” he asked when he found the news,

 

_“LAPD declared that it was in fact an accident and they have closed the case. Reports say that the famous author, Chuck Novak, is in town to take care of all the legal arrangements to take the bodies of his eldest son and his wife back to South Dakota._

_Novak, author of the ‘Devil trap series,’ hasn’t declared anything yet to the media so we still don’t know if he’s going to cancel his long awaited book tour that’s schedule to start on November 1 st. _

_Go on our twitter, @Channel5newsToday and answer the poll: should Chuck Novak cancel his book tour? Let us know what you think."_

Cas changed the channel still in shock, what the hell was wrong with that people?

 

 _“… Novak, son of the famous author Chuck Novak, was found dead with his wife inside their residence in Los Angeles. The incident took place yesterday but it was only today that it was confirmed by a source_ _in the Police department,”_ Dean turned off the TV.

 

“This is bullshit,” said Dean.

 

“What the fuck is wrong with the world?” asked Cas leaning his head on Dean’s shoulder.

 

“They have no right, that’s…” the landline began to ring in that moment. They didn’t answer but they knew someone downstairs did. A few seconds later they heard Gabe yelling at someone,

 

“Listen to me you insensible son of a bitch. Respect our family and our privacy… or family tragedy is not for your entertainment, did you hear? Stop calling!”

 

Dean and Cas stood up and ran downstairs,

 

“Who was it?” asked Dean,

 

“Some stupid local news, they wanted to make some questions about Mike and Jill,” said Gabe.

 

“I can’t believe this,” said Cas.

 

“I’m gonna call Jody to see how they’re handling this,” said Dean. He grabbed his phone and left the room.

 

“This is a fucking nightmare,” said Gabe while disconnecting the phone line.

* * *

 

Cas was exhausted by the time they made it home. He was so tired he couldn’t sleep, so he just lay in his studio floor waiting for Dean to come back from taking Nik for a walk.

 

“Babe?” asked Dean.

 

“Hi,” said Cas when he heard Dean opening the door.

 

“I thought you were gonna sleep,” said Dean,

 

“I’m too tired to sleep,” confessed Cas. Dean sat on the floor next to his husband.

 

“What can I do to help?” asked Dean.

 

“Dean, you’ve been helping us so much, you’re being strong for this family and I can’t thank you enough,” said Cas.

 

“Hey, you’re being strong too… I know how much you want to just let go and have a meltdown and sleep for days. You’re pushing it and you look like hell baby, but you’re being strong for our family,” said Dean.

 

Cas rolled to his side to have a better view of his husband.

 

“You know me so well,” said Cas.

 

“Babe, it’s okay to be sad and to feel lost in this cases. We’re not at your dad’s anymore… you can scream and break things and rock or do whatever you want to take it out of your system,” whispered Dean. Cas nodded and started to cry,

 

“I don’t understand,” he whispered. Dean held him and placed a soft kiss on top of his head,

 

“What?” asked Dean.

 

“Why? Why did it happen to them? I don’t… they weren’t sick or old and I know people die every day for different causes but, even if I sound selfish I wanna know why? Why am I allowed to keep living while I’m just some random guy with a shitload of mental issues? … I don’t have 3 little kids depending on me, I don’t, I … I’m sorry I shouldn’t, I …” he became a sobbing mess and Dean just held him tighter.

 

“I don’t think that sounds selfish at all babe,” whispered Dean, “Everyone is important in this world Cas, yes, they had a bright future ahead, a family; but you’re important to, don’t say stuff like that. You’re important and this isn’t a matter of who’s allowed to keep living, it was an accident Cas… maybe there’s a God or it’s just the universe and his weird order, I don’t know… all I know is that it was their turn babe; I don't want to sound like a freaking cliché but everything happens for a reason,” said Dean. Cas nodded but kept crying.

 

“We were so lucky,” said Cas eventually.

 

“Why?” asked Dean,

 

“The kids, they left the kids here… I don’t know what I would have done if the kids were gone too, they’re so innocent,”

 

“I know, I didn’t say it out loud at first but I felt so grateful for it,” said Dean.

 

“This sucks,” said Cas.

 

“I know babe,” said Dean, “c’mon we should go to bed, we’ll talk until we fall asleep,” he stood up and then helped Cas. They walked hand in hand to their room.

 

* * *

 

The moment they entered the room Cas allowed himself to let go of everything he had on his head, he started screaming and rocking and just crying… he wasn’t sure when but at some point he heard glass breaking but honestly, he didn’t care.

 

He could feel the pain leaving his chest and his body and mind getting numb; that was all that he wanted, to disconnect for a while.

 

The clock read 1:37 am when he started noticing his surrounding again,

 

“Dean?” he said, his throat hurt and he felt thirsty.

 

“Feeling better?” asked Dean,

 

“I’m so tired,” said Cas,

 

“Well, you did a lot of cardio there,” said Dean with a little smile. He handed Cas a bottle of water.

 

“I’m sorry,” said Cas after drinking all his water,

 

“Never apologize for your Asperger’s babe, ever… I know it’s part of you and I don’t care, really. You didn’t hurt me and I made sure you didn’t hurt yourself… though we’re gonna need a new flower vase and at least one new pillow,” said Dean calmly.

 

“I’m hulk,” said Cas with sadness.

 

“No, you’re Cas and you have meltdowns sometimes, so what?” said Dean, “can I hug you?”

 

“Yes,” said Cas. He got closer to his husband and they got in their usual position to sleep.

 

“I’m still upset,” whispered Cas.

 

“It’s normal Cas, we need to get used to a new life without them,” said Dean,

 

“I hate big changes,” replied Cas.

 

“Don't worry... I found the exact same flower vase on amazon,” answered Dean.

 

“I love you,” said Cas before falling asleep.

* * *

 

October 26th

 

The whole family (minus Charlie, Dorothy and the kids) was sitting at the table having coffee while they listened to Chuck and Jody tell them everything about their trip to LA.

 

“I think I’m going to change my phone number, it is ridiculous… what do they care? I’m the famous one, not my son,” said Chuck.

 

“People are sick man, they get excited for a picture of an actor buying toothpaste in target… I don’t know why they like knowing so much about other people’s life,” said Dean.

 

“I’m so tired, I just want this to be over,” said Chuck, “where are the kids?”

 

“Charlie and Dorothy took them to the mall to buy clothes for tomorrow,” said Cas.

 

“How are they? How’s Tegan?” he asked,

 

“She was worried she would have to get a new family and leave us,” said Bobby,

 

“Why?” asked Gabe,

 

“After Sam and Dean lost their mother they ended up leaving with me, a brand new family because they didn’t have a mom anymore… she thought the same would happen to her and she was scared but we talked,” said Bobby.

 

“When did this happen?” asked Gabe,

 

“Yesterday when I took her for ice cream,” said Bobby.

 

“What are we gonna do?” asked Dean.

 

“About what?” asked Jody.

 

“Well, about everything… I’m guessing the tour won’t happen anymore and, at least all their stuff was still packed so that part was easy but… what about the kids?”

 

“We’re not canceling the tour,” said Chuck,

 

“What?” asked Gabe,

 

“We need to go on with our lives Gabriel… I need to be busy, to distract myself and I’m sure staying here isn’t the best option for that, I’m sure that’s what Mike and Jill would have wanted,” explained Chuck, “you can come with us if you want, I wouldn’t want you to stay here by yourself,”

 

“Dad, I don’t know… are you sure this is the right decision?” asked Gabe,

 

“We’re just moving it for a week, it will start on November 7th instead of the 1st, I guess we’ll have to spend Halloween here,” said Chuck,

 

“I think dad is right, I want to go on tour, it will help clear my mind,” said Cas.

 

“What about the kids?” asked Dean,

 

“We’ll take them with us, that’s not a problem,” said Chuck.

 

“I don’t know Chuck, their lives have changed so much in the last couple of days, they need stability, routine, a home… who’s gonna take care of them now? Where are they gonna live?” asked Dean.

 

Charlie and Dorothy opened the door in that moment.

 

“We’re home guys!” yelled Charlie.

 

“We’ll talk about it later,” said Chuck.

 

“Grandpa Chuck! Grandma Jody! You’re back!” Tegan ran towards Chuck to give him a big hug.

 

“How are you doing Teg?” asked Chuck,

 

“I’m tired, we went to a lot of stores,” said Tegan,

 

“We got everything they’ll need for tomorrow,” said Dorothy, she was carrying Leonard in her arms.

 

“Thank you so much girls,” said Chuck,

 

“It was nothing Chuck,” said Dorothy.

 

“Well, I have to go pick Sam and Jess from the airport guys, be right back,” said Dean.

 

“Do you want me to go with you?” asked Cas,

 

“No babe, it’s fine, I know you’re tired and you want to be with your dad; I’ll be back soon,” Dean kissed Cas softly on the lips and then left.

 

“Grandpa, why do I have to wear a black dress tomorrow?” asked Tegan,

 

“Because we’re saying goodbye to your mom and dad sweetheart, it’s a tradition, there’s a gathering where all the people who knew them come and say goodbye and then a father says some nice words and we all remember the last moments we had with them and how amazing they were,” explained Chuck.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan. Chuck made a mental note; they would need to contact Doctor Norton.

* * *

 

“How’s everyone?” asked Sam,

 

“Hanging in there I guess,” said Dean. They were on their way back to Chuck’s,

 

“I still can’t believe it man, we just saw them like a month ago… it’s crazy,” said Sam,

 

“Cas talked to Jill a few hours before, it was like 1:30 in the morning and they just talked for a while,” said Dean.

 

“I still don’t get it… a gas leak, man that house is practically new and recently fixed,” said Sam.

 

“It was an accident, Cas says he heard Mike telling Jill that the stove wasn’t working, he was gonna boil water… the guys from the police said that the leak was caused because someone left one of the stove knobs opened,” explained Dean.

 

“So the stove was working,” said Jess,

 

“Yeah, Michael just didn’t know how to turn it on apparently… or off for that matter. They went to bed and didn’t notice… well, Jill did, that’s how they found them, the guys from the cable company arrived in the morning and they saw her on the living room floor, they called 911 but she was already gone. The reports say Michael died first, it is just so fucked up man,” said Dean wiping some tears from his eyes.

 

“But why was Jill on the floor?” asked Sam incredulous,

 

“Breathing natural gas for that long causes poisoning from carbon monoxide and it has symptoms, I mean if they had been awake they would’ve notice… you get tired and dizzy, head aches, you start acting all clumsy, vomiting… they say Jill probably woke up and felt like shit, she tried to leave the house but it was too late… she probably passed out.” Explained Dean,

 

“Poor Jill, she didn’t deserve to go like that, she was such a great person… and the kids, they’re so little,” said Jess crying.

 

“How are the kids?” asked Sam while handing Jess a tissue,

 

“The boys don’t know what’s going on, I mean, we explained them everything but I guess they don’t get it… Tegan well, she understands but she doesn’t know how to react, she’s sad but she’s doing fine. She reminds me of you when dad left, I was so upset, and you understood but you acted cool, you adapted pretty fast,” said Dean,

 

“Let’s hope she adapts soon too,” said Jess, “they don’t deserve this,”

 

“Yeah, I know,” said Dean.

* * *

 

Jess, Dorothy and Charlie spent an hour having a tea party with Tegan in the backyard. They were trying to see if the girl was doing fine,

 

“How are you feeling Teg?” asked Jess,

 

“I love my new tea set, thanks a lot auntie Jess,” said Tegan pretending to pour more tea in her cup.

 

“I’m glad you liked it sweetie,” said Jess.

 

“Why is everyone buying us presents? Is it because mommy and daddy went to heaven?” asked Tegan. Charlie had to take a deep breath to suppress the tears that were threatening to appear.

 

“We just want you and the boys to be happy Tegan,” said Dorothy,

 

“I think I’m a little happy, because I have all my new toys and because Grandpa Bobby said that I’m not getting a new family like uncle Sam and uncle Dean when their mom and dad went to heaven… but I’m also a little sad because my mommy and my daddy went to heaven and grandpa Bobby said they can’t come back and I can’t hug my mommy again and I miss her hugs and… I want my mommy,” she started crying and repeating over and over again that she wanted her mommy.

 

Tegan’s tears broke the girls heart but they knew they had to be strong for the little girl.

 

“Come here,” said Jess hugging her, “I know it’s not the same but we can hug you whenever you feel like you need a hug baby, we love you so much and we know it’s hard… I can’t even imagine what it’s like, you’re being so strong and brave sweetie; it’s okay to cry and to be sad,”

 

“Not fair,” said Tegan.

 

“I know baby, I know,” said Jess crying in silence,

 

“We’re all gonna help you Tegs, we know it’s not fair but some of us have been there… my dad when to heaven too when I was 12 and it was hard and for a long time I thought I would never be happy again but after a while, even though I missed my old life, I learned to be happy again,” said Charlie; Tegan looked at her an nodded.

 

“I wanna go inside, I wanna see my brothers,” said Tegan. Jess picked her up and they walked back into the house. They found Cas, Gabe, Chuck, Dean, Sam and Jody in the living room.

 

“How was the Tea party?” asked Sam. When Tegan turned her face he noticed her red face and her puffy eyes, “hey Teg, what happened?” he stood up and offered her his arms,

 

“Can I go to bed now? I’m tired,” said Tegan when Sam took her in his arms,

 

“You need to eat something first Teg,” said Sam,

 

“Can I eat nuggets?” asked the little girl,

 

“Shaped like dinosaurs?” asked Cas standing up. Tegan gave him a little smile and nodded,

 

“Thanks uncle Cas,” said Tegan.

 

“Want some help with Alan?” offered Jess when he saw Cas was carrying the little boy,

 

“Thank you,” said Cas, “Al, your aunt Jess is going to play with you now, okay? I’m going to cook dinner for you and your siblings,” said Cas to the little boy. He handed him to Jess and then left the room.

 

“I’m gonna help him with the food, I’m cooking a delicious lasagna and all of you are gonna eat and that’s the end of it,” said Jody standing up and following Cas.

 

“I really appreciate all the help guys,” said Chuck.

 

“Chuck, it’s nothing… we’re a family and family stays together no matter what,” said Dean.

* * *

 

 

By the time they were driving back home, Jess and Sam were sound asleep in the backseat and Cas was looking through his window in complete silence.

 

“You okay babe?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes, I was just thinking that tomorrow is going to be a hard day,” said Cas,

 

“I know babe, but we gotta be strong for the family, especially the kids,” said Dean placing his hand on Cas’s shoulder.

 

“This is so hard, I don’t know how normal people do it,” confessed Cas,

 

“We just try to be strong Cas, there’s no big secret, sorry… we just think about our family and take it one day at a time babe,” explained Dean.

 

“Okay,” whispered Cas.

* * *

 

October 27th

 

Cas started kicking and talking loud in his sleep. It took Dean a couple of seconds to notice but once he did he woke up immediately,

 

“Cas, babe…. Wake up, you’re having a bad dream,” said Dean shaking Castiel lightly.

 

“No… Michael please,” said Cas squirming.

 

“Babe, you’re having a nightmare, wake up… Cas!” Castiel opened his eyes and it took him a few seconds to take in his surroundings, he sat up and tried to control his breathing.

 

“Cas, you okay?” asked Dean worried,

 

“My brain decided to play a top 10 of times Michael made me feel like crap,” said Cas.

 

“It was just a nightmare babe, breathe,” said Dean.

 

“It wasn’t a nightmare Dean, it was my past, my mind reminding me that Michael never liked me… that I will never get to fix things with him,” as if someone had flipped a switch Cas started shaking and crying out loud.

 

“Cas, babe… can I touch you?” asked Dean leaving his hand a few inches away from his husband. Cas just shook his head and kept crying,

 

“Okay, no touching, that’s okay… I’m not mad. What do you want me to do? Do you want music? Do you want a heavy blanket?” Asked Dean. Cas started rocking and kept crying for almost 15 minutes. Eventually he was able to control himself and he managed to talk again,

 

“I’m sorry,” he said,

 

“Hey, no, don’t be; it’s okay,” said Dean,

 

“It had been so long since the last time I had a meltdown and now I’ve had two in the last couple of days, I feel so tired,” said Cas.

 

“Here, drink some water… you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to babe, I know you hate talking after a meltdown,” said Dean. Cas finished his water and then leaned against his husband,

 

“Cuddle,” whispered Cas. Dean smiled and held his husband,

 

“How are you feeling?” asked Dean,

 

“Guilty,” whispered Cas. Dean had to admit that wasn’t the answer he was expecting.

 

“Why?” he asked. Cas didn’t answer for a while; in fact the only sign that he was still awake was the fact that he had been drawing patterns on Dean’s arm with his finger. Dean didn’t pressure him, he knew Cas’ mind was going through a lot.

 

“Am I a bad person?” asked Cas suddenly,

 

“No babe, why would you say that?” asked Dean,

 

“Is it wrong if I’m going to miss Jill more than I will miss my brother?” asked Cas,

 

“No Cas, he was your brother but sadly you guys didn’t have a nice relationship… there’s nothing wrong with that, you didn’t hate him and you’re not happy because he died; you’re not a bad person, you just loved Jill more, she earned that love babe; to be honest I feel just the same way, for me, Jill was like a big sister, I could call her anytime to talk about random stuff and she would always be there for me. She was like that, she cared about you and your relationship with her, you’re not wrong for thinking that babe,” explained Dean.

 

“Thanks for listening Dean,” said Cas yawning.

 

“We should go back to sleep babe, we’re gonna have a long day,” said Dean.

 

“Days only last 24 hours Dean,” said Cas before falling asleep.

* * *

 

 

“C’mon Jess, you need to eat,” said Dean placing a bowl with oatmeal on the table. Jess was sitting there drinking hot chocolate.

 

“I’m not hungry… I’ll just finish my chocolate and then I’ll go get ready,” she answered. Her eyes were red and puffy and she looked tired,

 

“Jess, I know you’re sad… I’m sad too but the last thing we need is you getting sick, you’re eating for two now, maybe you’re not hungry but I’m pretty sure the baby is,” said Dean sitting next to her.

 

“You’re right… is just,” she wiped a tear from her cheek and started eating,

 

“It’s okay to cry Jess,” said Dean after taking a sip of his third cup of coffee that morning.

 

“I keep thinking about the kids,” she confessed,

 

“I know, I’ve been there, you know? And well, at least they have a big family and we all want to take care of them but there’s a lot of stuff we all need to discuss and it sucks because I’m pretty sure we all want to just be miserable and cry and not to think about anything for a while but we have to take care of a lot of things,” said Dean,

“They’re gonna need a home,” said Jess,

 

“I know,” said Dean,

 

“And Tegan needs to go back to school soon,” said Jess.

 

“I’m gonna talk to Benny and Garth today, they have kids and they probably know of a good school for Tegan,” said Dean,

 

“Yeah, good idea… I mean, I guess they’re staying here in Sioux Falls,” said Jess,

 

“Yeah, most of their family is here, I think it’s the right thing to do,” said Dean,

 

“But where are they gonna live?” asked Jess,

 

“That’s a good question… I think we all need to get together as a family and talk about it and it has to be soon,” said Dean.

 

“God, that shower was exactly what I needed,” said Sam walking into the kitchen and drying his hair with a towel,

 

“I still can’t believe you woke up early to go for a run,” said Dean standing up to grab a cup of coffee for his brother,

 

“Guess we all have different ways to deal with our feelings… Jess doesn’t want to eat, I want everything to be in control and you run a marathon,” added Dean,

 

“What about Cas?” asked Jess,

 

“Rough night… nightmares and a meltdown… he’s tired and dehydrated as fuck, I had to drive to the store at freaking 7 am to buy him a few bottles of Gatorade,”

 

“Jesus,” said Sam,

 

“He’ll be fine, it’s just… he feels like he should be doing more and he hates that he can’t because of how his body reacts to this kind of situations,” said Dean looking a little sad.

 

“But it’s not his fault,” said Jess,

 

“I know… and he knows it too but that only makes him more upset,” said Dean,

 

“Why don’t you go upstairs and check on him, I’ll finish breakfast,” said Sam.

 

“Make sure Jess eats something, I want a healthy niece or nephew,” said Dean standing up.

* * *

 

Dean looked at his watch, it was 10:15 am, hopefully Cas would be finally awake. He opened the door to their bedroom and found and empty bed,

 

“Cas, you in the bathroom?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes, I’m taking a bath,” came Cas’ voice from the bathroom.

 

“Everything okay babe?” asked Dean walking towards the bathroom,

 

“Yes, I feel better… I decided to take my anxiety pills, sorry,” said Cas.

 

“Hey, don’t apologize, it’s not like you’re using recreational drugs, you need your pills to relax,” said Dean standing outside the bathroom, “may I come in?” he asked,

 

“Sure,” said Cas. Dean opened the door and walked into the bathroom,

 

“Want me to help you with… oh my God! Cas… your hair!” Cas’ hair was now black.

 

“What is it?” asked Cas who sitting in the bathtub,

 

“Your hair is black, what happened?” asked Dean confused,

 

“Does it look bad?” asked Cas with a sad expression,

 

“No babe, you look hot no matter what… it’s just, I wasn’t expecting to see it. I’m pretty sure this morning it was blue,” said Dean sitting on the floor next to the bathtub,

 

“I dyed it like an hour ago,” said Cas,

 

“Why?” asked Dean playing with Cas’ damp hair,

 

“Because he hated my hair, he hated my blue hair and my pink hair and my purple hair… and we never got to fix things so I figure this is the least I could do,” said Cas,

 

“Oh, babe…” Dean hugged him and placed a soft kiss on his forehead,

 

“Dean, I’m all wet,” said Cas,

 

“I don’t care,” said Dean, “Cas, your hair and your body are yours and only yours, not even mine… you can do whatever you want with it as long as you don’t hurt yourself and if other people don’t like it, well… sucks to be them. You’re perfect Cas, I’m pretty sure I’ve told you this a thousand times,” said Dean,

 

“I was going to dye it a different color for the tour anyway,” said Cas with a shrug,

 

“Cas, you can’t start doing everything your brother wanted you to do… it’s not healthy, some of those things would make you miserable and you know it. Hair is just that, hair… you could cut it or dye it again next week and that’s the end of it but there are other stuff that…”

 

“I don’t know what to do, he never liked me,” said Cas,

 

“And changing who you are would make a difference now?” asked Dean,

 

“Not really,” said Cas, “ I don’t know what to do,” said Cas,

 

“Babe, at the end of the day he was your brother and he would’ve wanted you to be happy, that’s it,” said Dean. Cas didn’t say anything for a few minutes and Dean just waited in silence for his husband to talk.

 

“You’re probably right… I mean, if I try to do everything he wanted me to do… I would have to leave you and start dating a woman,” said Cas with a sad smile,

 

“Oh, I bet Meg would love that,” said Dean with a smirk,

 

“I’m sorry Dean… I freaked out. But I think the black hair is not a bad idea, it’s a way to pay my respects to my brother and I kinda like it… I think I finally look my age,” said Cas.

 

“As long as you do it because that’s what you want then I’m okay with it,” said Dean.

 

“I’m hungry,” said Cas changing the subject.

 

“Sam is cooking breakfast,” answered Dean,

 

“Good,” said Cas,

 

“Okay, I already showered so I’m gonna get ready while Sam finishes breakfast… we need to be there at 11:45, remember,” said Dean,

 

“Okay, I think the bath and the pills helped me relax enough to go through this day,” said Cas. He stood up and Dean handed him a towel.

 

They changed into their formal clothes for the funeral and then joined Sam and Jess in the kitchen.

 

“Breakfast is ready, Dean made oatmeal and I made pancakes and a fruit salad,” said Sam.

 

“We made you tea Cas,” said Jess.

 

“Thanks Jess,” said Cas.

 

They had breakfast in silence. Once they finished, Jess and Sam went upstairs to get ready while Dean and Cas cleaned the kitchen.

 

“Remind me to take Nikola Tesla for a walk when we return from the funeral,” said Cas.

 

“I know, we’ve been neglecting him,” said Dean.

 

By 11:21 they were leaving the house on their way to the funeral.

* * *

 

It was a simple ceremony. The whole family was there of course, some of Mike and Jill’s friends from Pierre showed up. Mike’s boss from LA was there too and of course, Naomi.

 

They always knew Jill’s only family was her mom and she had passed a few years back so there was no one from Jill’s family.

 

“I was expecting a relative, I don’t know like a cousin or something to show up,” said Charlie to Dean,

 

“I guess she was right, we were her only family,” said Dean.

 

Father Simmons finished giving his last words and then asked if someone of the family wanted to say a few words.

 

Dean was surprised when Cas raised his hand and walked towards the father,

 

“Castiel, are you sure you want to talk in front of all this people?” asked father Simmons,

 

“Yes father Simmons, I’m under the influence of a few pills so I think I can manage,” said Cas. Charlie, Gabe and Dean snorted.

 

“Okay son,” said the father looking confused.

 

“Good afternoon everybody, thanks for coming and for showing your support to our family during this difficult moments,” said Cas, “My relationship with my brother wasn’t the best, he used to say we were complete opposites but I like to think that we were so alike in some aspects that we didn’t like to be near each other because sometimes it could be like staring into a mirror,” said Cas, “I don’t mean the personality… I’m talking about how stubborn he was, how much he hated when he couldn’t control stuff or how he hated big changes… he never admitted those things but Jill and I liked to joke about that,” he smiled and looked at the Jill's casket waiting to be lowered into the ground, “ I never got to improve my relationship with Michael, I guess I just thought we would have our whole lives to fix that... Michael I never got to tell you this but I want to thank you, you weren’t the best brother but you gave me so much… thanks to you I met Jill, she was like a sister to me and I loved her so much, she was beautiful not only on the outside but she had a beautiful soul that made everyone smile when she was around. You also gave me the strength to do things I never thought I would be able to do… if only just to prove you wrong but it worked,” he wiped a tear from his eye, “and of course, you gave me two nephews and a nieces… just when I thought I couldn’t love more they taught me I was wrong, the day they came into my life I learned a new level of love and thanks to them I’m a better person… I guess I just want to say: Michael, you were a human being and you weren’t perfect but you were trying… I know you were and I want to thank you for that… thanks for never giving up, thanks for being an asshole and thanks for everything you brought into my life. I love you and I forgive you.” said Cas.

 

Dean held Cas’ hand when he returned to his place next to him,

 

“That was beautiful babe,” said Dean,

 

“It’s how I feel,” said Cas.

 

“I would like to say something too,” said Naomi standing next to Mike’s casket. Cas could see Gabe rolling his eyes.

 

“Michael was my first son, just when I thought my life couldn’t be better, God sent him to me and suddenly everything was perfect,” said Naomi, “I think the best day of my life was when he was born… the moment I saw him I knew he and I would have a special connection. I loved him with all my heart and even though at first I cried and yelled and cursed… now I understand that God decided to call him to his side because he needed an angel and we’re no one to question what our Lord decides,” she looked at father Simmons waiting for approval, he just blinked at her, “Thank you God for giving me a perfect son for 36 years, I know that he’s now next to you looking after me,” she placed a white rose on top of Michael casket and then returned to her place.

 

Charlie spoke too,

 

“Mike was an okay dude I guess, I mean, he was an ass most of the time but he loved Jill and the kids so I kinda liked him,” said Charlie looking at Naomi, “Jill was an amazing person, I met her when I had just a few months living in Sioux Falls and we immediately became friends… she was obsessed with Doctor Who and she was always nice to me an the family. As the time passed I like to believe we became best friends and she was always there for me… Jill, I promise I’ll always look after the kids and that I’ll stop worrying about stupid things and start living, okay? We didn’t get to make that trip to Mexico but I promise I’ll take Tegan with me when she’s older… I love you girl, thanks for everything, for always being there”.

 

A friend of Jill from Pierre talked too, she described her as ‘light… a person that illuminated a room the moment she walked in’ and everyone agreed with her.

 

Chuck didn’t talk; he had said everything he needed to say to his son earlier that day when he arrived at the cemetery.

 

They lowered the caskets slowly while everyone cried and threw flowers. The twins were watching from their stroller but they didn’t understand what was going on.

Tegan held Charlie’s hand the whole time.

* * *

 

Jill and Mike had already been buried but they still had to wait and thank everyone for showing up. Castiel was tired but he understood it was the polite thing to do.

 

“Uncle Cas, can we leave now?” asked Tegan,

 

“Just a few minutes Tegan, are you hungry?” he asked.

 

“Yes,” she said. Charlie had placed a couple of PB & J sandwiches, 3 juice boxes and the twins’ bottles in a backpack that was currently hanging from the stroller.

 

“here you go,” said Charlie handing Tegan a sandwich and the bottles to the boys,”

 

“Thanks,” Tegan grabbed her sandwich and sat on the grass to eat.

 

They waited for another 15 minutes until everyone was gone.

* * *

By the time they arrived to Chuck’s, the kids were clearly falling asleep.

 

“C’mon, Tegs I want you to eat at least an apple before taking your nap, you only had a sandwich for lunch,” said Charlie.

 

Gabe and Jody worked on making coffee for everyone while Bobby and Jess made turkey sandwiches.

 

Sam and Dorothy took care of the twins’ lunch.

 

“Uncle Gabe,” said Tegan while eating a slice of watermelon,

 

“Yes kiddo?” he asked,

 

“Who was the lady holding your hand today?” asked the little girl. They all had noticed the woman joining Gabriel but no one had asked him about her yet. They had seen her talk to Chuck and Gabe for a few minutes after the funeral and then she left.

 

“That hmm… that was Tish, she’s my girlfriend,” said Gabriel.

 

“Wow Gabriel, really?” asked Charlie,

 

“She’s hot,” said Jess,

 

“How long have you been dating? Why haven’t you told us?” asked Cas. Gabe was surprised to see that Dean had really kept the secret, not even Castiel knew.

 

“Just a couple of months… I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before but I was just waiting for the right moment, I don’t know… I promise I’ll bring her home some other day, I just thought today wouldn’t be a great day for introductions, you know?” he said,

 

“That’s cool man, we’re just happy to see that you found someone,” said Sam.

 

“How did you meet?” asked Jody,

 

“Dog park; I was right, getting a dog is the key to meeting girls,” said Gabe smiling.

 

“She seems nice, what does she do?” asked Dorothy,

 

“She’s a teacher,” said Gabe.

 

“Well, I think we’re all looking forward to meet her,” said Bobby.

 

“Yeah… we’ll talk about it later, okay?” said Gabe.

 

“Okay, Alan just fell asleep while eating… we should take the kids upstairs,” said Sam. He lifted Alan from his high chair and after wiping his face with a washcloth he let the boy rest against his chest.

 

“I’ll give you a hand,” said Dean. He grabbed Leonard and after a huge yawn Tegan decided that she was ready to take a nap too.

* * *

 

“Sleep well sweetheart,” said Dean placing a soft kiss on Tegan’s forehead. She smiled and turned to her left to be more comfortable.

 

“They look so innocent,” said Sam staring at the twins sleeping in their cribs,

 

“They are,” whispered Dean.

 

“Dean… please promise me, if something ever happens to me or Jess,”

 

“Dude, you don’t even have to say it… I’ll always be there to take care of your kids, don’t worry,” said Dean.

 

“This is so fucked up,” said Sam,

 

“I know,” replied Dean.

 

“Dean… I’m sorry you had to go through this when we were kids,” said Sam.

 

“Man, it wasn’t your fault and there was nothing you could’ve done… besides, I don’t remember the pain of losing mom; I mean, I remember being confused but I guess I was too young… I can’t remember much really,” confessed Dean,

 

“You think that will happen to them? They’ll forget about Mike and Jill?” asked Sam,

 

“We won’t let them… I know it’s basically impossible with the twins, they’re just babies but we have to make sure that Tegan never forgets her parents,”

 

Sam nodded and then ruffled Leonard’s hair.

 

They just stood there in silence looking at the kids. Dean was upset, he wanted to yell and curse God or the universe or whatever was in charge of their existence. He wanted to help, he wished they could go live with him and Cas… but then, there was the situation with Cas, he didn’t want kids… he was scared of raising children and this wasn’t an easy task, it wasn’t just adding one kid to their family, there were 3; he wanted to do something but he couldn’t ask that kind of sacrifice from Castiel… maybe opening a fund for them, pay for their education… his thoughts were interrupted when Sam placed a hand on his shoulder.

 

“We should go back, they’re waiting for us,” said Sam.

 

“This is gonna be hard,” said Dean following his brother to the door.

* * *

 

They were all sitting around the dining table drinking tea and coffee. No one dared to talk so they kept eating the sandwiches Bobby and Jess made.

 

“Okay, we need to talk about this and we’re gonna run out of food eventually so we might as well start talking now,” said Bobby,

 

“Bobby is right,” said Chuck.

 

“Okay,” said Gabe.

 

“Well… we’re all sad, that’s obvious and we’re all gonna be sad and upset for a while, but as much as I would like to lock myself in my room and cry for a week… there are 3 little kids that now depend 100% on us; so we need to think about them first,” said Chuck after taking a sip of his coffee.

 

“I think we all agree on that,” said Bobby.

 

Dean was about to talk when the doorbell interrupted him,

 

“Are you waiting for someone?” asked Gabe; he stood up and walked towards the intercom to see who it was,

 

“I hope it’s not another news channel, I’m tired of those,” said Charlie,

 

“Quick! Hide the dogs… Is Cruella!” said Gabe. Cas took a deep breath and Chuck pinched the bridge of his nose,

 

“Open the door Gabriel… as much as we dislike her presence, she has the right to be here too,” said Chuck,

 

“Now I'm the one who feels like locking myself in my room and crying for a week,” said Gabe. He pressed the button on the phone and opened the door.

 

They waited in silence for Naomi to walk into the kitchen.

 

“Did you start without me?” she asked,

 

“We had no idea you would be here,” said Cas,

 

“Your father asked me to come,” she took a seat between Dorothy and Bobby, right in front of Cas and Dean.

 

“Okay, as I was saying… we’re all here to talk about the future of the kids,” said Chuck, “I need to be honest with you guys, I know the easiest thing would be for them to stay here with me, this wouldn’t be the first time I have to raise 3 kids by myself,” he made a pause and looked at Naomi in the eye, “but, it is not the same to take care of your kids when you’re on your 30’s than when you’re 60… I’m willing to do it, you know I love those kids with all my heart but I also want to hear what you think or if you have other options… we need to think of what’s best for them,”

 

“Dad, you wouldn’t be alone… I live here too,” said Gabe,

 

“Son, you’re gonna need to make your life one day, I can’t force you to stay here because I need help with the kids,” said Chuck,

 

“Gotta agree with ya’ in that one old man, taking care of a bunch of kids ain’t easy for one person… Jody and I talked about it yesterday and if you all agree we want to take them with us. We have a big house and well, there are 2 of us… I could cut hours from the garage and of course you would all be there to help us,” said Bobby,

 

“Bobby, are you sure? You guys were just planning your retirement and, you know? It would be like starting again… Jess and I can take them with us too, I mean, they wouldn’t be in Sioux Falls but San Francisco is a great city, full of diversity and culture… we would raise them as our own… we already have one on the way, adding another 3 wouldn’t be a problem,” said Sam smiling.

 

Chuck smiled at Bobby and Sam, he was happy to see that they all had been thinking on plans to help the kids.

 

“I’m sorry …but you’re not even related to those kids, they’re not your responsibility… if Chuck is too tired to take care of them then I’ll take them,” said Naomi.

 

“Oh no, you’re not!” said Charlie,

 

“Why are you all here? You were not related to my son so you shouldn’t be here, this is a family matter,” said Naomi,

 

“Well then leave, because if someone here isn’t part of this family, that would be you,” said Gabe.

 

“Gabriel, you know what I’m talking about,” she said.

 

“Woman, you’re not taking those kids… I would rather stay in this house my whole life living with my father and the kids than sending them to live with you,” said Gabe.

 

“Michael was my son… he was part of me, he was my everything and now he’s gone and all I have left from him are those 3 children,” she said raising her voice,

 

“So what? They’re your consolation price? Do I need to remind you that you told Jill she had used Tegan to trap Michael? You were a bitch with Jill every time you saw her and you never cared for the kids… I’m pretty sure you don’t even know when where they born or their middle names,” Gabriel was fuming.

 

Cas started scratching his hand and as soon as Dean noticed he tried to stop him.

 

“I’m sorry… I realize I wasn’t the best person with Jill but I want to fix that, I can make it all better with the kids,” said Naomi.

 

“You’re not taking them, I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation… I’m Tegan’s godmother which means that her parents trusted me to look after her and choose always what’s best for her, and lady, I’ve only known you for like 3 years but I’m pretty sure that living with you is hell,” said Charlie standing up.

 

“The same comes from us, we’re the twins godparents and we agree with Charlie,” said Dean.

 

“I’m going to sue you then, I will take legal action,” said Naomi. Everyone was screaming and Cas couldn’t take it anymore,

 

“Oh, I would love to see a judge's reaction when we tell them that you abandoned your own children all those years ago… I’m pretty sure you’re an excellent candidate for taking custody of them… especially knowing that you gave up on your part of the custody in exchange for money,” said Cas standing up too. He had made a promise to Jill; he was going to look after those kids.

 

“I’ve changed… Michael’s children are my second chance,” she said.

 

“You’re not experimenting on those kids, you’re a fucking monster… you hit me and yelled at me for being different, you made sure to let me know that I was an accident and you blamed me for everything… no way in hell I’m letting you do that to Tegan, Alan and Leonard!” he didn’t know what was going on but suddenly he felt like he needed to take care of the kids with his life… and then, it hit him… “Dean and I will take them,” he finally said.

 

They all looked at Cas in shock. The family knew he didn’t want kids; even Dean was surprised with his reaction.

 

“Cas, are you sure?” he whispered,

 

“Yes,” said Cas firmly.

 

“I will not let those kids be raised by a couple of sinners,” said Naomi.

 

“I’m not asking for your permission… I’m stating the obvious; the kids need a big house with at least 2 responsible adults to take care of them… they need to be loved. Dean and I are married, we have a huge house, we make enough money to send the 3 of them to college tomorrow if they want; but most important… we love them. I love them so much I just stopped thinking about myself… my love for those 3 kids is bigger than my fear of having children of my own and screwing up their lives. I’m scared, I’m not gonna lie… I’m petrified… but I don’t care because there’s no doubt in my heart or in my mind that taking them with us is the right thing to do,” said Cas.

 

“If you love them like you say, then let them have a normal life… the other kids will make fun of them for having 2 fathers… and what if they turn out like you?” she asked,

 

“I didn’t have a normal life, neither of us did and we’re all a big happy family. I’m sorry Naomi, I grew up afraid of you but not anymore; I’m willing to fight that fear… I’m willing to do anything for MY CHILDREN!”

 

Naomi walked around the table and stood right in front of Cas, facing him. He hated to look at strangers in the eye but he didn’t lower his head, he wanted her to know that he was being serious.

 

“You have no idea how much I wish it had been you… I wish you were the one who died in that accident and not my son,” she said.

 

“Well… we can’t always get what we want… if that were the case, I would have had a loving mother who respected me and accepted me for who I am but instead I got you,” said Cas with his deep voice.

 

In that moment Naomi did something no one was expecting. She slapped Castiel hard on his left cheek but he didn’t move, he just stood there looking at her in the eye.

 

“I hope you understand, that after this I don’t want to see you near my kids or my family ever again… if you ever come close to any of us I swear to God I’ll send you back to hell with my own hands,” said Casitel. Dean stood up and held his hand, he wanted to intervene but he knew this was Castiel’s battle.

 

“You should leave Naomi,” said Gabe. She turned around and walked out of the kitchen as fast as she could.

 

They remained silent until they heard the front door being slammed.

 

“That was intense,” said Sam.

 

“Are you okay babe?” asked Dean.

 

Cas turned around to face Dean; his cheek was red and he had a small cut under his eye,

 

“Am I bleeding?” asked Castiel casually,

 

“Small cut,” said Dean pointing at his own cheek to show Cas where he was injured,

 

“This is the second and the last time that woman hits me,” Cas turned around and walked towards the kitchen. Chuck tried to follow him but Dean stopped him,

 

“Let me… I’ll talk to him,” said the Winchester.

* * *

 

 

When Dean walked into the kitchen Cas was washing his face in the sink. Dean opened the fridge and grabbed a bag of frozen vegetables. After Cas dried his face, Dean handed him the bag.

 

“How does it feel?” asked Dean,

 

“The ice is numbing my cheek, thanks,” said Cas.

 

“Cas… we need to talk about a lot of shit,” he ran his hand through his hair, “I don’t even know where to begin,”

 

“I don’t want to talk about that woman, as far as I’m concerned she’s out of my life now, more than ever… she doesn’t exist anymore. The only thing that had her reaching for this family was Michael and now he’s gone,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” said Dean. He grabbed Cas’ hand and guided him to sit on a metal stool.

 

“So I guess that only leaves us with another subject to talk about… I’m sorry if I didn’t ask your opinion on this Dean, but in that moment it felt like the right thing to do,” said Cas.

 

“Did you mean it? I know you said it in the heat of the moment but, do you still mean it?” asked Dean.

 

“Dean, was there ever any other solution? It’s the right thing to do… we love those kids with all our heart; our world stops whenever they visit us. You know what it’s like to grow up with an adoptive father and I know what it’s like to grow up without a mom… I have Asperger’s which makes me the perfect person to help Alan to grow up as a happy kid. We have 4 guest bedrooms in our house; we have the money. I just quit my job… that’s perfect timing too, I could become a ‘stay at home parent’ and go back to writing once they start school,” Cas explained,

 

“Cas, it sounds like you’ve been giving this a lot of thought,” said Dean.

 

“It crossed my mind a few times during the last couple of days… but I was too scared, I thought maybe dad would be more prepared for this task but he’s right, he already raised 3 kids on his own and he deserves to rest and to live his life now… the same goes to Bobby and Jody. And I know Sam and Jess really mean it but they would be alone in San Francisco with 4 kids,” answered Cas,

 

Dean removed the frozen bag from Cas’ face. It was still red but he wasn’t bleeding anymore.

 

“How are you feeling?” asked Dean.

 

“It doesn’t hurt anymore,” said Cas.

 

“God bless your anxiety pills,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“I know,” said Cas smiling, “so, what do you say? I’m sorry I externalized my thoughts before discussing them with you… but I think it’s the right thing to do,” said Cas,

 

“Are you kidding me? When I took the kids upstairs for their nap… it broke my heart to think about this fucked up situation; I felt like I needed to do something, to protect them and of course taking them with us crossed my mind but I was afraid it would be too much for you,” confessed Dean,

 

“Me too, but I’ll do anything to keep them safe and to make sure they grow up happy… just to think about them living with that woman,” said Cas.

 

“Cas… we’re about to take one of the biggest decisions in our lives; are you doing this because you really want to, or because you want to upset your mother? Because these are kids we’re talking about, this is a life changing decision… for them and for us,” Cas took a deep breath and nodded,

 

“We’re not doing this alone Dean… the whole family will be there to help us and I know this is the right choice, it won’t be easy but I want to… really,” answered Cas.

 

“Okay, so let’s go back to the dinning room and talk to the family,” said Dean. He held Cas’ hand and they left the kitchen.

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it... I'll try to post soon. Have a nice week.


	20. We are 3 kids without a mommy and a daddy and they are 2 daddies without kids…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is sad but life needs to go on and decisions need to be made...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry it took me this long but i've been super busy lately... anyway here's the new chapter, hope you like it. (Sorry again for all de sadness).

* * *

October 

Dean had only been this scared a few times in his whole life; like when his dad left, or when he thought he would never talk again to Cas after their big fight... like when Cas had that car accident. He took a deep breath and walked into the TV room where the kids were playing with Bert and watching cartoons.

 

“Tegs, dinner is almost ready,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” she said with a smile. Cas pushed Dean lightly and Dean walked towards the kids and sat next to them on the floor.

 

The whole family of course had agreed that Dean and Cas would be the best option for the kids. They were happy and willing to help. Charlie and Dorothy were already making plans to decorate Tegan’s room and Sam and Jody were researching what they would need to create a room for Alan. Bobby had already arranged everything for the moving van to be left at Dean and Castiel’s house as soon as possible and Gabriel was already looking online for everything they would need for Leonard’s room.

 

They allowed themselves to be happy and to make it all a special project for the kids.

 

At first they wanted to talk to Tegan during dinner but then Cas freaked out a little,

 

“What if she doesn’t want to?” he had asked,

 

“What do you mean?” asked Gabriel,

 

“Well, yes… I don’t want her to feel like she has to say yes just because we ask her in front of the whole family… she has to agree with this too,” had said Castiel. Everyone thought Tegan would say yes and they obviously started to make plans, still, they agreed with Cas that it would be better to talk to her in private.

 

And now they were sitting on the floor, ready –kind of- to have a mature conversation with a 5 year old about her future.

 

“Tegan, we wanna talk to you,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” she said turning her attention to her uncles. Cas took a deep breath, it was all happening too fast but he knew it needed to be that way, the kids needed stability and they all needed to go on with their lives.

 

“Sweetheart, we need to talk about some serious stuff and we know this might be hard for you but we want you to know that we love you and we just want you and your brothers to be happy,” said Dean.

 

“What is it?” she asked, she looked scared.

 

“Tegan, Bobby told us you talked to him and that you’re worried about what will happen to you,” said Cas. She looked at her brothers and then back at her uncles,

 

“He promised we would stay with this family, please don’t take us to a new family… we’ll be good, I promise!”

 

“No Tegs, we would never do that to you, we promise,” said Dean hugging her,

 

“That’s part of what we wanted to talk about… you’re gonna need a home, a new home. I know you’re happy here with grandpa Chuck but you’re gonna need a home, rooms for each of you, a new school… you understand this kiddo? I know it’s hard but your lives are about to change; and what we all want in this family is for you to be happy and comfortable with all this changes,” explained Dean.

 

“This new home and everything your uncle mentioned would be inside the family of course,” said Cas, “that means we promise you we are all going to look after you and we’re not leaving you, okay?” he knew that was important to Tegan.

 

“I like living here with grandpa Chuck but mom said I was gonna have a big room with a big window and purple walls,” explained Tegan, “Can I still have my room? Maybe I can paint just one wall of the room and the other walls can be blue for the twins. Are we gonna share a room forever? I don’t mind I was just wondering,” she said.

 

Dean remembered the first year he lived at Bobby’s. He remembered they were in the middle of the school year and his sneakers didn’t fit anymore, they were too small but he was afraid of telling Bobby. What if Bobby thought he asked for too much and decided to drop him outside an orphanage? What if Sammy needed something and Bobby couldn’t afford it because he had already bought Dean’s sneakers. At the end Castiel had been the one to tell Bobby and Bobby had talked to Dean, _‘Don’t you ever be afraid of asking for things Dean, if I can’t buy it I will tell you, I can’t get you a car son but I definitely can buy you a new pair of sneakers, I want you to be comfortable and happy,’_ had said Bobby. Maybe Tegan was thinking the same, she wanted things but she didn’t know if she could ask.

 

“Tegs, your uncle Cas and I… we want to offer you our home. We would like to do what Bobby did for me when I was a kid. We want to give you a home, and take care of you,” said Dean,

 

“My brothers too?” she asked,

 

“Yes sweetheart, of course,” said Castiel,

 

“We would live in your house? With you and Nik?” she asked,

 

“Yes, but only if you want to… you can stay here with your grandpa if you want too, that’s okay. Don’t be afraid to talk okay? You’re part of this family and your opinion is important to all of us,” said Dean,

 

“Uncle Dean?” she whispered. Dean was still holding her in his arms,

 

“Yes?” he answered,

 

“Would you be like my new dads?” she asked.

 

“Well, we would take care of you and the twins. We would feed you and buy you clothes. Love you and read you bedtime stories. Look after you, send you to school and make sure you brush your teeth,” said Dean,

 

“Take us to the park too?” she asked looking at Cas first and then at Dean,

 

“That can be done, yeah,” said Dean smiling at her.

 

“Is grandpa Chuck okay with it? I don’t want him to be sad if we go to other house,” she said.

 

“He just wants you to be happy Tegs, if you want to live with us then your grandpa is cool with it,” said Dean.

 

“You don’t have to make a choice right now Tegan, we can wait for your decision. We just want you to know that we’re offering you our home, we want it to be your home too… but if you prefer to stay here we won’t be mad, we will still love you and help you with everything we can,” said Cas. She stood up from Dean’s lap and then hugged Castiel.

 

“Thank you uncle Cas,” she said.

 

“Okay, so… we’re gonna head downstairs to help Jody with dinner. We’ll let you know when it’s ready,” said Dean standing up. Cas kissed Tegan’s cheek and then he stood up too.

 

“Take your time to think about this,” said Cas smiling at his niece. She nodded and then Cas and Dean left the room.

* * *

 

“How did it go?” asked Jess, she was helping Jody with dinner.

 

“She was confused… I’ve been in her place and I think she’s scared of asking for things, you know? Like maybe we would think she asks for too much and we’ll regret keeping her here,” explained Dean washing his hands,

 

“Been there,” said Charlie, “I couldn’t even eat a cookie without asking my nana if it was okay. I used to think I was abusing her hospitality,”

 

Dorothy held her hand and placed a kiss on her cheek.

 

“She’ll be fine… we explained to her that it was okay if she needed stuff and that we’re willing to give her and the boys a home… but we also said it was okay if she wanted to stay here,” said Dean.

 

“What did she say?” asked Jody,

 

“She’s gonna think about it,” said Dean.

 

“She worries so much about her brothers… it’s really like a small version of Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, she is… she told us yesterday at the mall that her mom and dad had told her to take care of the boys and be responsible while they were gone,” said Charlie.

 

“We should call Doctor Norton, just to make sure that she’s taking it in the best possible way... I don’t want her to stop being a child because she thinks she needs to take care of her brothers all the time,” said Cas.

 

“Good idea,” said Dean. Cas noticed Sam, Chuck, Bobby and Gabe were missing,

 

“Where did the men go?” asked Cas.

 

“Sam, Bobby and Chuck are at his office talking about legal stuff… Gabe was on the phone with his girlfriend,” said Dorothy.

 

“Okay… do you need help with anything?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah, help me take the macaroni out of the oven please,” said Jody. Cas washed his hands and then proceeded to help with dinner.

* * *

 

20 minutes later everything was ready to be served.

 

Charlie and Jess placed the twins in their high chairs; Gabe served the drinks and Jody, Dean and Cas placed the food on the table.

 

“Mac & cheese!” said Tegan with excitement,

 

“Homemade,” said Jody, “you also have to eat your broccoli young lady, okay?”

 

“Okay,” agreed Tegan.

 

They ate in a comfortable silence. Everyone was tired and most of them were eating because they had to, not because they were in the mood… but at the end, it felt great to be together as a family.

 

“This is delicious Jody, I need to get the recipe,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah, me too please,” said Jess,

 

“Of course, I’ll e-mail it to you; it’s my mom’s original recipe,” said Jody.

 

“Can I have more, please?” asked Tegan. Cas put more macaroni but also more broccolis on her plate. Tegan didn’t complain.

 

Cas and Dean waited during the whole dinner for Tegan to say something about her decision… they knew it was probably too soon but they couldn’t help but hope. Tegan didn’t say anything and they didn’t push it.

* * *

 

 

They stayed at Chuck’s for a few more hours. The kids eventually went to bed and then the adults moved to the living room to talk some more. Cas was exhausted but he knew there were things that needed to be done.

 

“Dad, are you sure you don’t want to go to bed? You look tired,” said Gabriel.

 

“No son, I’m tired but we need to discuss more things… Sam and Jess are leaving tomorrow.

 

They stayed there almost until midnight. They talked about everything; selling Mike’s house and car. Moving all their stuff back to Sioux Falls. Mike and Jill’s will. Tegan’s school. By the time they were done talking Cas and Chuck looked like they needed to sleep for a year.

 

“Guys, we’re all beat… we should leave. Chuck please you need to get some shuteye,” said Dean standing up, “C’mon Cas, I know you’re half asleep already babe,” said Dean. Cas nodded and stood up.

 

“Dean’s right,” said Sam standing up too, “Jess and the baby need to rest; we’ll drop by tomorrow on our way to the airport Chuck,”

 

“Thanks so much for being here Sam,” said Chuck, “I know it wasn’t easy to take some days from work you guys but I really appreciate it,” said Chuck.

 

“Anything for our family Chuck,” said Jess. She hugged Chuck and then said goodbye to the rest of the family.

* * *

 

October 28th

 

“Goodnight guys, see you in the morning,” said Dean from outside his room. Sam and Jess were on the hallway walking towards their room,

 

“Goodnight Dean, sleep well,” said Jess.

 

Dean closed the door behind him only to find Castiel was already in bed. Dean walked to the bathroom and after brushing his teeth and putting on a pair of pajama pants he joined Cas in bed.

 

“I’m feeling anxious,” whispered Cas.

 

“Jesus, I thought you were asleep,” said Dean.

 

“No, I was thinking about Tegand and the boys,” said Cas.

 

“You having second thoughts?” asked Dean a little worried.

 

“No, I’m sure I want this and I’m scared but I’m ready,” said Cas.

 

“Then?” asked Dean getting closer to his husband.

 

“What if she says she doesn’t want to live with us?” asked Cas.

 

“That’s not gonna happen,”

 

“You have no way of knowing that Dean,”

 

“Yeah, you’re right… but I’m pretty sure she’ll say yes,”

 

“What if she doesn’t?” It was obvious that Castiel was scared,

 

“Okay, if she doesn’t we respect her decision and help them in any way we can… we’ll always be there for them no matter what,” said Dean.

 

“You’re right,”

 

“Cas… if they say no… Jesus, no, never mind; I don’t want to upset you or go back to a stupid argument we had months ago,” said Dean turning off his lamp.

 

“Dean…” whispered Castiel.

 

“Do you wanna … adopt? I mean, Jesus… Cas if the kids say they don’t wanna come live with us then…”

 

“I don’t want other kids Dean,” said Cas completing Dean’s phrase,

 

“Oh, thank god,” said Dean chuckling,

 

“I’m not doing this because I have a sudden need to become a father… I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do; because I love those kids and because it’s what my brother and Jill would’ve wanted,” said Cas.

 

“I feel the exact same way babe,” said Dean feeling more relaxed.

 

“I’m glad… I think we made the correct decision… let’s just hope Tegan says yes,”

 

“Yeah,” said Dean yawning,

 

“You should try to sleep Dean, it was a big day,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah, same goes to you man… you have bags under the bags of your eyes,” said Dean hugging Castiel. He could feel Cas’ body tensing right in that moment,

 

“What is it? You don’t feel like hugging? I’m sorry,” said Dean letting go of Cas,

 

“No Dean, is not that,” said Cas placing his hand over Dean’s chest to show him that he could touch him.

 

“Then?” asked Dean confused,

 

“I’m scared of closing my eyes Dean… I’m scared of falling asleep and seeing him,” confessed Cas, his voice breaking.

 

“Cas… this isn’t healthy babe, you can’t stop sleeping your whole life Cas,” whispered Dean playing with Cas’s hair.

 

“I hate seeing those moments replay in my mind again Dean, I know it’s stupid but…”

 

“Hey no, it’s not stupid… nothing about you is stupid, okay?” said Dean before placing a kiss on Cas’ forehead, “want me to tell you a nice story until you fall asleep? We have nice memories with Michael too babe, remember that time he forgot to close the window of your dad’s old car and there was a freaking storm? Michael thought the car was ruined and he was freaking out so bad,” whispered Dean.

 

Castiel closed his eyes and placed his head on Dean’s chest. Dean kept playing with his hair,

 

“He took the car without asking dad… the first summer he came back from college,” said Cas smiling,

 

“I still can’t believe Bobby helped him and didn’t tell Chuck… actually, I’m pretty sure Chuck doesn’t know yet,” said Dean with a chuckle,

 

“Tell me everything that happened that day Dean,” whispered Cas. He had been there that day, in fact he had been the one who convinced Michael to ask Bobby for help with the car but still he wanted to hear Dean’s voice until he could fall asleep.

 

Dean took his hand and kissed the back of it,

 

“Well, it was Mike’s first summer break from college… I think he had only been here for a couple of weeks and Chuck was out of town at the time, just for the weekend. Michael wanted to hang out with his old friends and he wanted to impress them… I remember we caught him looking for the car keys in the studio and he gave us 30 bucks and some candy to buy our silence,” started Dean, he could hear Cas’ light chuckle,

 

“That night he came back to the house and he was so upset, he looked scared and desperate… you asked him if he was okay and he was so freaked out that he actually told you the truth ‘Castiel, I don’t know what to do… there was a storm and I left dad’s car outside Martin’s house… man, I forgot to close the window. The car is ruined! He’s gonna kill me!’ he was about to cry I swear… and then you walked towards him and placed your hand on his shoulder and just said ‘no, because he won’t find out. Bobby can help us,’ do you remember that? He actually hugged us and ruffled your hair,” Cas didn’t answer… he was already sleeping.

 

Dean smiled and for some reason, even though Cas was already asleep, he kept telling the story of that day.

* * *

 

October 29th

 

Just as they had promised, Dean drove Jess and Sam to Chuck’s so they could say goodbye. They had already said goodbye to Bobby, Jody, Dorothy and Charlie in the morning.

 

When they arrived to Chuck’s door they could hear one of the boys crying, it was loud and the door was still closed. Cas took a deep breath and then they opened the door,

 

“Oh, hi guys… kinda early isn’t it? I thought you would be showing up at noon,” said Gabe. He was walking up and down the stairs trying to calm Alan who was red and crying out loud.

 

“It’s 12:17 Gabriel,” said Cas with a serious expression.

 

“Oh, crap… guess time flies when you’re having fun,” he said.

 

“What the hell is happening? Where’s Chuck? And for the love of god, what are you doing to that baby?” asked Dean.

 

“I uh… Dad’s not feeling fine today, I think he’s finally allowing himself to feel sad and all that shit,” said Gabe.

 

“Jesus,” said Dean. Cas walked towards his brother and took the baby from his arms. Tegan came running from the TV room, she looked upset,

 

“Uncle Gabe, please make him stop! Leonard is gonna start crying soon too!” she was covering her ears. They saw her run again and then they heard a door being slammed.

 

“Maybe we should stay a few more days,” said Jess,

 

“I can handle this, dad just needs to get some sleep,” said Gabe. Jess rolled her eyes at him,

 

“I’ll go check on Tegan and Len,” said Jess running upstairs.

 

“Gabriel, what’s happening? Is he sick?” asked Sam trying to help Cas with the baby. They walked to the kitchen. Cas kept hugging Alan and whispering to his ears but the baby was having none of it,

 

“I don’t think so… I mean, he’s red because he hasn’t stopped crying but he doesn’t feel warm and he had breakfast just fine,” explained Gabriel.

 

“Alan, buddy… you’re scaring us,” said Dean to the baby.

 

“Did he get hurt?” asked Sam inspecting the boy and trying to find a bruise or something.

 

“Nothing happened, I’m totally capable of taking care of a baby. They woke up, had breakfast, made a mess with their freaking breakfast, I cleaned them and changed their clothes, I took them to the TV room and then he lost it,” explained Gabriel,

 

“Maybe he needs some more sleep,” suggested Sam,

 

“No, wait… the clothes, did you use his clothes to dress him?” asked Cas,

 

“Dude, how do I know? They’re twins and they’re the same size… they’re a handful man, I just grabbed the first I found and… oh, fuck… the texture, I forgot!” said Gabriel realizing his mistake. Cas started undressing the little guy and then he noticed, his undershirt still had the tag on the back,

 

“He’s itchy… the tag of his undershirt,” explained Cas. The moment he took the shirt off it was like he had flipped a switch, the little boy stopped crying out loud and in less than a minute he was in total silence just hiccupping from time to time,

 

“Oh, my god… I was an idiot. I can’t believe it was such a little detail,” said Gabe.

 

“’S not your fault man… you’re taking care of the 3 kids and worried about your dad, you didn’t notice; could happen to anyone,” said Dean.

 

“I’m sorry Al,” said Gabe.

 

“C’mon Alan, I’ll give you a bath and change you into something more comfortable, that will help you relax,” said Cas to the little boy. He excused himself and took the baby upstairs,

 

“Are you okay Gabe?” asked Sam,

 

“This morning I went into dad’s room and he was crying and screaming and the place was a total mess… I think he was containing himself because we were all here the last couple of days but since today it was only me and the kids he finally let go… it was hard man, to see him like that,” said Gabe.

 

“He seemed fine yesterday, but I guess you’re right… maybe he was just bottling it,” said Sam worried,

 

“Have you talked to him?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, like an hour ago. I went into his room and made him take a shower and eat something. I cleaned the room, I don’t want the kids to go in there and see him like that,” explained Gabe,

 

“This is a mess,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah,” said Gabe. He looked tired. They heard someone walking into the kitchen; they turned around and saw Chuck wearing pajamas and a red robe.

 

“Hey dad, feeling better?” asked Gabe,

 

“Yes son, thanks for helping me this morning… I don’t know what happened,” said Chuck apologetically,

 

“Dad, it’s totally fine man, really… I was actually worried when you reacted so calmly after we heard about Mike and Jill. This whole throwing books and breaking glasses is a normal reaction, really,” said Gabe.

 

“I guess, but I shouldn’t do it… the kids are here, and you guys are here and… I don’t want you to think that I can’t be strong for this family,” said Chuck.

 

“Dude, we know that you can be strong for this family, you don’t need to prove it to us,” said Dean,

 

“Chuck, you took care of your 3 kids after your wife left. You raised them on your own and now you wanna raise your 3 grandkids too… you’re not weak man,” said Sam.

 

“My kids were between 12 and 18 when my wife left… this is so different,” he said.

 

“Dude, that’s why we’re all here, okay? To help,” said Dean,

 

Jess came into the kitchen carrying Leonard in her arms,

 

“Hi guys, hey… Cas is upstairs giving Al a bath. He has an idea: Dean you’re taking us to the airport and Tegan is joining you so you don’t have to drive back on your own. Cas is gonna stay here while you’re gone and he and Gabe are gonna take care of the twins while Chuck rests… I think it’s an excellent plan,” said Jess,

 

“Guys, you shouldn’t change your plans for me, I’m feeling better,” said Chuck,

 

“Chuck… shut up,” said Dean, “I mean, sorry, I know you’re my husband’s father but you need to rest and to take time to yourself too. You have all the right in the world to be sad and to be mourning, okay? We’re here to help. Cas’ plan is great. I’m pretty sure Tegan could use a little fresh air and Cas is the perfect person to help with Alan,”

 

“C’mon dad, Dean is right… say goodbye to Jess and Sam. I’m gonna make some tea and then I’ll take it to your room,” said Gabe. Chuck wanted to argue with them but he knew it was pointless since they all wanted the same, and deep down he knew they were right.

 

Jess handed Leonard to Dean and then she hugged Chuck,

 

“Chuck, we love you, okay? I have no idea what you’re going through but just remember that we’re all here for you… if you need anything just call us, I don’t care about the hour, even if you just want to tell us about your day or about a new brand of soup, I don’t care,” they hugged for almost a minute.

 

Jess went to say goodbye to Gabe while Sam talked to Chuck,

 

“Chuck, man… I wish we could stay more days, I’m sorry,” said Sam,

 

“Sam, you guys dropped everything and flew here to be with the family, I really appreciate it,” said Chuck.

 

“Hey, you’ve been there for us since the day we met… you’re like another father to us man,” said Sam. He hugged Chuck tight and both of them shed a few silent tears.

 

Eventually, after they all said their goodbyes Dean called Tegan. She came running with her sneakers in her hand,

 

“I’m almost ready… I just need my shoes,” she said.

 

“C’mon we’ll take care of that in the car, aunt Jess can help you,” said Dean picking up Tegan so she wouldn’t have to walk out of the house without shoes.

 

“We’ll be back soon grandpa Chuck!” said Tegan,

 

“Have fun,” said Chuck,

 

“I’ll buy her lunch on our way back… want me to bring something four you guys?” asked Dean.

 

“I’m not hungry,” said Chuck,

 

“Yeah, I don’t know why I asked… let me rephrase myself… guys, I’m taking Tegan to grab lunch on our way back. I’m bringing a little bit of everything so you can have something to eat for the next couple of days,” said Dean. He didn’t wait to hear an answer from Chuck; he just turned around and left followed by his brother and sister in law.

* * *

 

Gabe walked into the kids’ room to find Cas changing Alan into an onsie that looked really comfortable,

 

“Wow, he’s quiet,” said Gabe surprised. He placed Leonard in his crib and then walked towards his brother.

 

“I gave him a bath, talked to him and changed him into his favorite kind of fabric. He’s tired though… I think he’s going to sleep at least for a couple of hours,” explained Cas.

 

“How do you do it man?” asked Gabe. Cas lifted the baby and placed him in his crib,

 

“Our minds work in similar ways, I just know that after I touch a texture I don’t like I need to wash the sensation away… he was feeling itchy and stressed so a bath was the perfect option,” said Cas.

 

“Man, maybe it’s because I’m only a couple of years older than you but I don’t remember going through all this when we were growing up,” said Gabe.

 

“Oh, I used to have meltdowns all the time… we just didn’t know at the moment. Usually Naomi would call me a spoiled brat and then lock me in my room until I was able to function again,” said Cas,

 

“Maybe we should tell her that Alan is in the spectrum… she would totally lose interest in keeping them,” said Gabe.

 

“I thought about it the other day, but to be honest… I don’t want to listen to her calling Alan names and blaming me for his condition,” explained Cas.

 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Gabe.

 

Cas read a book to the twins, Gabe helped him making funny voices and sounds and after 15 minutes both kids were sound asleep.

* * *

 

“So, what do you say Tegs? Burgers? Tacos? Lasagna? Pizza? Sushi?” asked Dean on their way back from the airport.

 

“Hmm… Pizza!” she said,

 

“Great,” said Dean smiling, “but umm, you have to eat salad too, okay?”

 

“Okay,” said Tegan nodding,

 

“I’ll take you to this awesome place, they sell the best pizza in town… your uncles and I used to go all the time when we were kids,” said Dean.

 

“My dad too?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, sometimes…but, I mean the thing is… your dad was almost 6 years older than me, so he didn’t hang out with us a lot, he had friends his age. When we met, your uncle Cas and I were 8, Gabe was 10, Sammy was 4 and your dad was almost 14,” explained Dean,

 

“ You can’t be friends with older kids?” she asked confused,

 

“Is not that sweetheart, but for him, I guess it was boring to hang out with us… he had a bunch of friends his age and they could go out without parents, you know? Go to the movies or to the mall… and we were a bunch of kids for him. He was a nice guy, we had fun when we hanged out, Bobby and Chuck used to take us to the lake every summer and it was awesome. But just think, would you rather go to a party with a bunch of kids your age and I don’t know, watch movies; decorate cupcakes… play dress up, eat ice cream… whatever you guys do on your cool parties; or would you rather hang out with your brothers and their friends and I don’t know, eat steamed vegetables, walk trying not to fall and drool everything you grab?”

 

“I love my brothers but playing dress up and eating ice cream sounds better,” said Tegan.

 

“And it doesn’t mean that you don’t love’em it just means that you like to do stuff kids your age usually do… that’s what happened when we were growing up. Your dad had friends his age… Gabe had friends too and he wouldn’t hang out with us sometimes,”

 

“Okay,” she said.

 

None of them spoke again in almost 5 minutes.

 

“Uncle Dean?” whispered Tegan,

 

“Yes kiddo?”

 

“I uh… nothing, forget it,” she looked worried.

 

“Tegs, you know you can ask me anything, right?” said Dean. He parked outside Giovanni’s pizza and turned around to have a better look of his niece.

 

“I don’t wanna make you mad,” she said.

 

“Sweetie, nothing you say is gonna upset me. You’re a kid, you’re going through a lot and you’re growing up, you’re curious… really Tegs, any question you have,” he said.

 

“Can we have pizza first?” she asked,

 

“Sure thing,” Dean got out of the car and walked around it to help Tegan take off her seatbelt.

* * *

 

 

“Dad… are you sleeping?” asked Cas opening Chuck’s door. Chuck was in bed buried in his blankets.

 

“No Cas, I was just resting… do you need my help? I’m sorry I’ve been so lazy this day, I’ll come downstairs to help you,” said Chuck sitting up,

 

“Dad, everything’s under control, don’t worry,” said Cas.

 

“Castiel, I’m sorry,” said Chuk.

 

“Why?” asked Cas,

 

“I’m supposed to take care of this family and be strong for all of you… and I’m trying, at first it was easier but today I was looking through some papers and I found the first letter Mike sent me from college and it felt so real, you know? It finally dawned on me that I will never see Michael again… I will never talk to him, I’ll never chastise him again and I’ll never hug him again,” said Chuck sobbing.

 

“Dad, you have all the right in the world to feel sad… you lost your son, I know you want to be strong and make sure that we’re fine but we understand, okay?” said Cas rubbing soothing circles on his dad’s arm.

 

“A son should never die before a parent, it’s just not right,” said Chuck. Cas took a deep breath and hugged his father,

 

“Dad, I… I don’t know what to say,” said Cas.

 

“You don’t have to say anything Cas… just, can you stay here with me?” asked Chuck,

 

“Of course dad, whatever you need,” Cas climbed into bed and sat down next to his dad, resting his back against the headbord,

 

“Do you want to talk? I don’t mind if you don’t want to talk,” said Cas,

 

"Not really," said Chuck. Cas understood, he hated to talk after experiencing a mentally exhausting experience; something inside him told him that he needed to be the one to talk; he needed to distract his father.

 

"You know... last night I couldn't sleep so Dean told me stories from when we were kids, I found it very soothing," said Cas. 

 

“Actually son, would you mind doing that?… I like hearing your voice, I like knowing that you’re here,” said Chuck,

 

“Of course dad,” said Cas; he nodded and after thinking for a few seconds he finally started talking, “I… was 9 years old and … no wait, no, maybe telling you that specific story isn’t a great idea,” said Cas,

 

“What did you do? Drink a beer?” asked Chuck,

 

“No, I tried my first beer when I was 13, Gabe stole one from Bobby’s fridge,” said Cas.

 

“I’m not even surprised about that one,” said Chuck, “so, what story were you going to tell me then?”

 

“We skipped school,” said Cas,

 

“Dean was there?” asked Chuck,

 

“Yes, it was his idea actually… I wanted to go to the museum and he knew the place wouldn’t be crowded in the morning so it would be easier for me that way. Bobby left early that morning because he had to go to Sioux City to pick up some parts for a car he was fixing, so he couldn’t drive us to school. Dean told you that Bobby would be driving us that day, I was supposed to tell you but I couldn’t lie to you so Dean did it… that day, after breakfast I said goodbye to you and mom and then went to Dean’s house. We walked Sam to the bus stop and we bribed him with a lot of candy. After he left to school we went back to Bobby’s. We waited until you left in the car and then we left too,” said Cas.

 

“It sounds incredibly irresponsible and dangerous,” said Chuck,

 

“Nothing bad happened, we stayed together the whole time and held hands to cross the street,” said Cas,

 

“Okay, what else happened?” asked Chuck with curiosity,

 

“Well, we arrived to the museum and a group from other school was there, so we mixed with them and actually got in without paying…”

 

Cas kept telling random anecdotes to his father. He told him about the time Gabe made the cinnamon challenge and then cried for like an hour. He told him about the time Bones pushed him into a puddle of mud and he almost ended up kissing Dean. He told him about the time Mike forgot to close the window of Chuck’s car and it rained.

 

They laughed, they cried and they talked. For Chuck it was great to see how much his son had accomplished in all those years. He missed Mike, and he was sure he would never stop missing him but he was also grateful for having Cas and Gabe… and Mike’s kids.

 

Eventually Gabe joined them. He had taken a shower after the kids went to sleep and now he wanted to share some time with his family.

 

“Care if I join you?” asked Gabe when he opened the door. Chuck smiled at him and he and Cas moved so Chuck could be between his two sons,

 

“I could use a nap,” said Cas,

 

“What about the twins?” asked Chuck,

 

“We have the baby monitor, if they wake up and start crying we’ll know,” said Gabe. Chuck nodded and relaxed a little,

 

“It’s been years since the last time you two shared a bed with me,” said Chuck.

 

“After mom left… for the second time,” said Gabe.

 

“No, it was the last night you spent here, before going to college,” said Cas,

 

“Oh, right… I remember,” said Gabe smiling.

 

They talked for a little while until they fell asleep.

* * *

 

“Okay, you finished your pizza, you finished your salad… are you gonna ask me now?” said Dean. They were sharing a slice of pie with ice cream.

 

“Okay… am I going back to school?” she asked,

 

“Huh, your grandpa Chuck and I talked to Garth actually… you remember his daughter Susie?” asked Dean, Tegan nodded, her cheeks covered with ice cream, “She used to go to this pretty cool Kindergarten that I think you’re gonna love. Chuck doesn't know if you're ready to go back though... but I think you are; I know you are going through a lot but I also know that it is pretty important four you to go back to school as soon as possible,” said Dean.

 

“I miss school, not my old school in Pierre; I just miss going to school. I like staying at grandpa’s house but it’s boring sometimes. All we do is watch Netflix and take naps,” said Tegan,

 

“Jesus, you’re living the dream,” said Dean chuckling, “Was that all you wanted to know?” he asked.

 

“No, I have a lot of questions but I don’t want you to be mad,” she said again. Dean remembered that once Tegan told him that Mike used to get upset if she asked a lot of questions.

 

“Tegs, I love answering questions, okay? You can ask me anything you want… if I don’t know the answer I’ll search it and then I’ll tell you. If it is an uncomfortable question I’ll let you know… I want you to trust me, okay?”

 

“Grandpa Chuck was crying this morning,” she whispered after a few seconds,

 

“I know,” said Dean.

 

“Is he sad because my daddy and my mommy went to heaven?” asked the little girl. Dean took a deep breath and then nodded,

 

“Yes kiddo, he misses them,” said Dean,

 

“I miss them too,” she said, “uncle Dean… Do you think grandpa Chuck will be sadder if we go live with you and uncle Cas?” asked Tegan. Dean didn’t know what to say; he finished his root beer and looked at his niece,

 

“Tegs, the day we came back from the cemetery… we all talked, the adults I mean, we talked about where you should live and to be honest we all love you so much and all we want is for you guys to be happy… it doesn’t matter where you live. I know you’ve never lived in Sioux Falls but living here basically means that we see each other all the time. On Saturdays we have breakfast at Bobby’s sometimes and sometimes and Chuck’s… every Saturday, it’s a rule we have in this family. On Tuesdays we have dinner with Charlie and Dorothy, sometimes we go to the movies and sometimes we stay at home and play videogames but we always see each other on Tuesdays,” explained Dean, “Your grandpa Bobby and I work together so I see him everyday; your grandpa Chuck and your uncle Cas work together too,”

 

“So, if we go live with you we’ll still see everyone all the time?” she asked,

 

“Yeah, I mean, you would have to go to school on weekdays but yeah, everyone wants to help and be there for you and the boys,” said Dean. Tegan nodded and stayed silent for a while. Dean finished his part of the pie and asked the waiter for the check and to bring all the extra food he had ordered to go. He was about to ask Tegan if she had another question when she finally talked again,

 

“Uncle Dean?” she asked,

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What happens if we move with you and then you and uncle Cas have your own babies and you don’t want us to be there anymore? Like Cinderella, her new sisters were mean to them and the step mom loved them more,” she asked almost in a whisper,

 

“That’s what you wanted to ask in the car?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah,” she said,

 

“Honey, don’t worry about that… your uncle Cas and I, umm… we’re not gonna have babies, we can’t,” he said,

 

“Why? Are you sick? My friend Lucy says her mom was sick and she can't have babies so they adopted Lucy and her brother,” said Tegan,

 

“No baby, we’re not sick… it’s complicated… we just, we don’t want to have more kids. If you move in with us you’re the only kids we’re gonna have, I promise,” said Dean,

 

“Okay… I think I want to talk to grandpa Chuck first,” said Tegan.

 

“No rush kiddo,” said Dean.

* * *

 

 

When Dean and Tegan returned to Chuck’s an hour later, they were carrying bags with food for at least 3 days.

 

“Brought pizza and salad!” yelled Dean opening the door.

 

Cas and his father were in the kitchen feeding the babies,

 

“Hello Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Hi babe, nice bedhead,” said Dean. He kissed Cas on the cheek and then walked towards the fridge,

 

“Can I help you put all the food in the fridge?” asked Tegan,

 

“Sure kiddo,” said Dean.

 

“Did you have fun Tegan?” asked Chuck. He looked better now,

 

“Yeah, we had pizza and then we went to Target!” she said with excitement,

 

“I’m glad you enjoyed your day with your uncle,” said Chuck.

 

“C’mon guys, there’s pizza and salad and you’re not leaving that table until you finish it,” said Dean. He took the spoon from Chuck’s hand and pushed him lightly towards the table. Chuck reluctantly sat down and Dean took Chuck’s place feeding Len.

 

Gabriel joined them 5 minutes later. Cas finished feeding Alan and then he sat at the table too. They finished the pizza and Dean was glad to see that they all looked rested.

 

“Guys, I was talking to Tegan earlier… She says she wants to go back to school; i told her about Susie's old kindergarten. I know it seem soon but I agree with her, Tegs needs to go back to school, we don’t want her to miss the school year… I mean, she’s going to elementary school next year and she needs to be ready,” said Dean.

 

“I really wanna go back to school,” she said.

 

“Isn’t it a little soon?” asked Gabe,

 

“Uncle Gabe… I miss my mommy and my daddy a lot but uncle Dean says I need to have a rou… rout…”

 

“Routine,” said Dean smiling,

 

“A routine… it means going to school every day and having a bedtime and a healthy lunch every day and doing homework. He says all kids need a rout… routine to grow up happy and healthy and I want that. I don’t want to be sad forever and if I’m gonna live in Sioux Falls I want to make new friends. I want to learn how to read and write so I can read all the books grandpa and uncle Cas write!” she explained,

 

“Wow, it seems like you two had a pretty grown up chat,” said Gabe.

 

“Yeah, we had a great time,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, I’ll call the school on Monday,” said Chuck. Tegan stood up and ran to hug her grandfather.

 

“Grandpa Chuck, are you still sad?” she asked him,

 

“Yes sweetheart, but I’m doing better now… seeing you happy helps a lot,” he answered.

 

“I wanna ask you something,” she said,

 

“What is it?” asked Chuck,

 

“I don’t want you to be sad… but I want to go with uncle Cas and uncle Dean. I want to live with them and my brothers and Nik,” she said. Chuck smiled and hugged her again; she started crying out loud,

 

“What’s wrong sweetheart?” he asked confused,

 

“I’m sorry, I don’t want you to be sad but I really want to live with them. They’re fun and, and… uncle Cas always know how to make Alan smile and Leonard love uncle Dean. But I don’t want to leave you alone but, but… you already have 3 sons though my daddy went to heaven but he’s still your son and Uncle Dean says they can’t have babies so they will never have kids and, we are 3 kids without a mommy and a daddy and they are 2 daddies without kids…” she was talking very fast and shaking,

 

“Tegan, don’t cry… you’re right, all the things you said, you’re absolutely right,” said Chuck.

 

Dean was hugging Leonard with one arm but he used his free arm to hug Cas. Tegan’s words almost made them cry.

 

“Tegs, your grandpa won’t be alone… I’m still gonna live here and Bert is here too,” said Gabe.

 

“Sweetie, you’re right, you know? That’s exactly what I told your uncles when we talked yesterday. I already raised 3 kids, I’m not as young and strong as I used to be and even though I love you and the boys I’m pretty sure Cas and Dean are the perfect candidates for this task… you just said something beautiful; you’re 3 kids without a mommy and a daddy and they’re 2 dads without kids… I’ll tell you a secret, Cas thinks he wouldn’t be a good dad but I think he’s gonna be an amazing father and you’re gonna help him see that, won’t you?” asked Chuck.

 

Tegan nodded.

 

“Tegan, let’s make a deal,” said Cas.

 

“A deal?” she asked,

 

“Why don’t you stay here one last night? You have a sleepover with your grandpa, your brothers and your uncle… and Bert. Tomorrow Dean and I will pick you up after lunch and we’ll take you to pick up everything you’re gonna need for your new room and well… we’ll paint the room together; it’ll be like a special project,” said Cas.

 

“Can everyone help?”

 

“Yes, Charlie and Dorothy already have a lot of ideas,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan smiling back at him. Chuck carried her and dried her tears with a napkin.

 

“Okay, Dean and I better get going then. We need to clean 3 rooms in our house and get everything ready,” said Cas. He was freaking out inside but he knew Tegan needed to see him in control of the situation.

 

“Thanks,” she said.

 

Dean and Cas said goodbye to everyone. They hugged Tegan and the twins and then left with smiles that clearly meant that they were freaking out. 

* * *

 

They didn’t say a word on their way home. It was only when Dean parked baby in the garage that he finally spoke,

 

“Are you freaking out?” asked Dean,

 

“Yep,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah, me too,” said Dean.

 

“So this is it… we’re… we’re having kids,” said Cas looking at Dean in the eye,

 

“Tomorrow, by this time… we’re gonna have 3 little kids sleeping in our house,” said Dean,

 

“We’re gonna be responsible for 3 lives,” said Cas,

 

“I’m so scared… but I wouldn’t change it for anything,” said Dean smiling.

 

“I know,” said Cas.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I love you all! I'll try to finish next chapter this week and hopefully upload it next weekend.


	21. Our fist day as legal guardians, kind of...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas pick up the kids from Chuck and start their new adventures on parenting. Family is there to help, Alan loves his shoes and Tegan is pretty good at negotiating. Everyone is still sad but they're trying to go on with life and focusing on the kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like it's been ages since the last time I updated but I've been super busy with work, homework and life. Anyway, i'm back and ready to keep writing.
> 
> Thanks for reading and for all your kind words, I really appreciate it all. Have a nice week :)

* * *

 

October 29th

 

“I can’t believe we're awake at 7:35 in the morning to clean the house,” said Cas while mopping the last room.

 

“Welcome to our first day as responsible parents,” said Dean,

 

“I don’t know if parents is the right term… shouldn’t we earn that?” said Cas.

 

“You’re probably right,” said Dean,

 

“This is more like our fist day as legal guardians, kind of,” said Cas.

 

Dean had called Sam the previous night. He had promised to help with all the legal stuff to make them officially the kids’ legal guardians. Apparently it would be an easy task since Michael and Jill had left a list of very specific requests in their wills. Including the names of Chuck, Cas, Dean, Gabe and Charlie as people they trusted to take care of the kids if something ever happened to them. Cas remembered a few months back when he had talked to his dad about wills, at that moment he hadn’t thought about it as something urgent but he was glad that Jill and Michael did.

 

They still needed to read their wills. It was taking a while and when Sam tried to explain why, Dean concluded that it was a lot of legal stuff that he didn’t want to hear about because it sounded exhausting, they knew Mike and Jill had probably left everything to one another and to the kids.

 

The point was, since Sam was a lawyer with license in California and South Dakota, Michael had hired him to take care of all his legal stuff (that turned out to be a big surprise to Cas when he found out). Sam was taking care of everything and he assured Dean that sooner that they expected they would become legal guardians of the kids.

 

Cas was a little worried; Naomi hadn’t said another word since the last time they saw her but he was scared she would try to use the law to take the kids from them. He knew it was stupid, he had a legal document that specifically said that he was in the small group of people Mike considered capable to take care of the kids but still, thinking about Naomi made him anxious.

 

“Cas… Earth to Cas,” said Dean.

 

“What? Sorry,” he shook his head and focused on his husband,

 

“You falling asleep? We should have breakfast and then take a shower… we still need to buy all the stuff we’ll need to baby proof the house,” said Dean,

 

“Yes, you’re right,” said Cas yawning.

 

They had breakfast while looking at lists online of stuff they would need to baby proof the house. Dean ended up calling a company of specialists in the subject but they wouldn’t show up until Monday so they still decided to buy some stuff they would need for the weekend like a baby gate for the stairs and kid proof door locks. Dean also called Bobby, apparently he had contacted the moving company and they informed him that the moving van would be there on Wednesday. Most of the kids’ stuff was there.

 

Cas decided it would be more practical to buy more clothes for the kids, since they had only packed for 5 days and it was incredible how fast little kids could dirty their clothes. They kept making a list of things they would need to get; it was getting bigger by the second.

 

“This is crazy man,” said Dean,

 

“I know, we’re just lucky they’re not newborns,” said Cas,

 

“You’re right,” said Dean.

 

They finished writing their list and after cleaning the kitchen they went upstairs to take showers. Half an hour later they were on their way to the closest Babies “R” us.

* * *

 

 

“Uncle Gabe?” said Tegan. She was sitting at the table helping Gabe to mix the batter for the waffles.

 

“Yes kiddo?” he asked,

 

“Your birthday is tomorrow,” said the little girl,

 

“How do you know?” he asked.

 

“Your birthday is a day before Halloween and I know that Halloween is on Monday,” said Tegan,

 

“You’re pretty smart kiddo,” said Gabe.

 

“Are we gonna have cake?” she asked,

 

“I don’t know,” said Gabe. He wasn’t sure how to feel about his birthday, “I don’t think anyone is in the mood for a party right now Tegs”.

 

Tegan didn’t say anything. She looked like she was thinking what to say next,

 

“But, you don’t have to have a party… you can just buy a candle,” said Tegan,

 

“Buy a candle?” asked Gabe,

 

“Yeah, for your wish… you only get one wish every year, remember?” she asked,

 

“Oh, you’re right… I forgot about that, I can’t believe it,” said Gabe. He usually made a big deal for his birthday since it was just a day before his favorite holiday in the world but this year, if he was honest, he didn’t want anyone to remember it, he wanted it to be just a normal day and he wished that no one would say ‘happy birthday’ to him because the word happy shouldn’t be thrown around that much when a tragedy has just hit you less than a week before.

 

“Uncle Gabe… I finished mixing I think,” she said. Gabe checked the batter and after making sure that it was perfect he grabbed the bowl and moved it next to the waffle maker,

 

“Can I help more?” she asked walking towards her uncle,

 

“Well, I’m not an expert but I’m sure I shouldn’t let you work with hot things and fire,” said Gabe, “oh, I know… why don’t you help me put more food in Bert’s bowl. The bag of food is behind that door,” said Gabe pointing at a small door next to the fridge. Tegan nodded and then picked up Bert’s blue bowl,

 

“I like to help,” said Tegan while putting food in the bowl. Chuck walked into the kitchen holding hands with the twins.

 

“Guys, look at you… you’re walking like experts now,” said Gabe looking at the boys. Leonard smiled and waved at his uncle,

 

“Oh my god you’re so freaking cute,” said Gabe.

 

“They woke up in a good mood,” said Chuck,

 

“Uncle Gabe, I put food in Bert’s bowl… can I help more?” asked the little girl,

 

“Well, why don’t you go wash your hands so we can all have breakfast,” said Gabe while working on the waffles.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan. She hugged her grandfather and then left the kitchen.

 

When Gabe looked at his father, he was staring at the twins with a very serious expression,

 

“Are you okay dad?” asked Gabe worried,

 

“Yeah… I was just wondering, do you think they know? Not what happened to their parents, I mean like… do you think they know something changed? That everything’s different now?” asked Chuck,

 

“I don’t know… I guess,” said Gabe, “they’d never been apart from Jill this long; I know it’s only been a week since they arrived but I’m pretty sure they must miss them, especially Jill,” said Gabe.

 

“I can’t believe it’s only been a week,” said Chuck lifting Alan and placing him in his high chair.

 

“I know,” said Gabe.

 

“I don’t know about you but it feels like time moves both fast and slow at the same time… I feel like it’s been ages since we heard the news but it hasn’t even been a week,” said Chuck.

 

“I feel the same dad, I keep thinking that it’s all just a stupid dream,” said Gabe. He finished making the waffles and placed them on the table while Chuck put Leonard in his chair.

 

“I guess it’s true… we need to take this a day at the time,” said Chuck.

* * *

 

“Dean, I don’t want to hurt your feelings… but I believe we’re going to need a bigger car,” said Cas when they were leaving the Babies “R” us,

 

“I’m gonna pretend I didn’t heart those words coming out of your mouth,” said Dean.

 

“I said I wasn’t trying to hurt your feelings,” said Cas.

 

“I know babe… you’re probably right… we’re gonna need to get a more ‘familiar’ car at some point I guess,” said Dean.

 

“If by some point you mean next month,” said Cas.

 

“Cas, they’re little… they are little kids, they totally fit in the back of this car,” said Dean.

 

“Dean, did you see the size of those car seats for babies we bought? Where are we going to sit Tegan? She can’t sit on the front seat, it is illegal, not to mention dangerous,” said Cas.

 

“Shit,” said Dean.

 

“I’m not telling you to get rid of this car,” said Cas.

 

“No, I know babe… it just, I never thought I would end up driving a freaking minivan,” said Dean.

 

“It probably will only be necessary on the weekends Dean, the boys are not going to school yet,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah… well, can you call Charlie? Ask her to meet us at Chuck’s later today so she can drive Tegan? We could probably use her help at the mall anyway,” said Dean. Cas nodded and grabbed his phone.

* * *

 

By 2:35 pm Dean and Cas had installed the baby gate on the top part of the stairs, baby proofed (and Dean proofed) all the doors in the house and looked online for minivans that didn’t scream “soccer mom”.

 

They were currently in the garage installing the car seats for the twins in the impala,

 

“Jesus who invented this? NASA? If we buy another car we’re totally gonna buy a new pair of seats because no way in hell I’m gonna spend half of my day everyday taking these out,” said Dean. Cas chuckled.

 

“We should eat something, you’re cranky,” said Cas,

 

“I’m not cranky… I have a freaking mechanical engineering degree and these baby products make me feel like I need another 4 years in college,” said Dean,

 

“Nice try but you’re not leaving me home with 3 kids to go back to college,” said Cas. Dean snorted and then followed his husband to the kitchen.

 

* * *

 

While they were enjoying a couple of sandwiches and root beers, Cas went very quiet,

 

“Something wrong?” asked Dean,

 

“I was just thinking, exactly a week ago we were at my dad’s enjoying lunch with Mike and Jill,” said Cas,

 

“Crap, you’re right,” said Dean,

 

“I don’t know how to describe the way I feel,” said Cas.

 

“Babe, that’s because you’re feeling a lot of things at the same time,” said Dean.

 

“You’re probably right,” said Cas, “and I was thinking… I don’t believe I can allow myself to be sad again after we bring the kids home,” said Cas,

 

“Babe, you can feel sad, it’s natural but you just can’t allow that sadness to overshadow everything else,” said Dean,

 

“Is not that easy,” said Cas almost in a whisper. It took Dean a few seconds to answer,

 

“Cas, are you? Do… do you want to go back to antidepressants? Because you know I’m cool with that, right? We don’t need to have this conversation every time you feel like you need to take them,” said Dean,

 

“It’s complicated,” said Cas. He took another sip from his drink before talking again, “I’m sad of course but this sadness is different… with depression you don’t even need to be sad for a reason, it’s just a chemical process in your brain that makes you feel defeated and tired so, no I don’t think it’s depression, I think it’s just pure, normal sadness… and it scares me because, for me it is hard to tell at which point it stops being just sadness and starts being something else, and I feel pressured because now I’m going to be responsible for 3 more human beings and… I know that I’m going to be sad for a while but… but what if I never stop being sad, what if the sadness stays and then it becomes something else and suddenly you have to deal with a broken husband and take care of 3 kids on your own and-“ he started sobbing and couldn’t keep talking. Dean stood up and helped Cas to stand up too; then he held him against his chest.

 

“Cas, everything’s alright babe, shh… I’ve got you,” he whispered sweet words to his husband’s ears over and over again. Eventually Cas allowed Dean to move him to the living room, “Cas you’re scared, that’s normal… I know you don’t like big changes,” said Dean. Cas nodded and slowly stopped crying. It took him almost 10 minutes to talk again,

 

“I’m sorry… I just, I have a lot of things in my mind and I know it’s selfish to feel upset about this changes… Michael and Jill didn’t ask to die and the kids didn’t ask to be orphans… but I can’t help it, I understand there’s nothing we can do but I still feel weird, this changes still bother me and… ahh! Sometimes I hate my Asperger’s! I hate that I can’t react like a normal human being,” confessed Cas,

 

“Cas babe,” Dean took a deep breath, “Don’t hate your Asperger’s okay? It’s part of who you are… and you’re an incredible person, an amazing human being. You’re kind and caring and you worry about everyone else’s wellbeing. You call yourself selfish but that’s totally opposite of who you are. You offered those kids a home even though you were scared because you want to help and protect them. You helped your dad yesterday even though it meant that you would have to take care of a baby having a meltdown… Cas you’re not selfish babe, you help everyone and you’re kind; and sometimes your brain wants you to think less of yourself and you could say ‘fuck it’ and lock yourself up because it would be easier… but you don’t, you don’t do it because you care, so please don’t call yourself selfish… you’re scared; I’m scared too babe,” said Dean stroking Cas’ hair.

 

“I know we’re going to make this work,” said Cas after a while, “but I had so much going on in my mind… I just- I felt like I needed to let it all out before the kids got here,” said Cas.

 

“Babe, you’re not going to turn into a robot once they’re here… you’re allowed to feel and to be worried even if they’re living here. I want you to understand that Cas, because otherwise you’re gonna get sick and anxious. You’re allowed to keep being yourself even if you’re responsible for other human lives… think of your dad today, he was fighting so hard to make us think that he was okay and he clearly wasn’t… and that’s okay, we understood. So Cas, please, promise me that you won’t bottle it all up, because I need you to be you a 100% to make this works, we’re a team… now more than ever,” said Dean.

 

“We’re a team,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah… so now Cas, why don’t we finish our lunch, then we take a nice relaxing bath and then we head to your father’s house?” said Dean. Cas nodded but didn’t say a word. Dan kissed him softly on the cheek and then he helped Cas to stand up. Cas hugged his husband and then followed him to the kitchen.

* * *

 

When Dean and Cas arrived to Chuck’s, Charlie was already there. They parked the impala behind her car and after taking a last minute to freak out (basically just take deep breaths and repeat “everything’s gonna be fine”) they finally walked into the house.

 

“Oh, hi guys,” said Gabe. He was about to go upstairs when he heard the door being opened,

 

“Hello Gabriel,” said Cas.

 

“Charlie and dad are changing the twins’ clothes… they made a mess with their lunch,” said Gabe. Tegan came running with a backpack in her hands,

 

“Uncle Gabe, I can’t close it… the zipper won’t work,” she complained,

 

“Hi Tegs,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, hi… I’m almost ready,” she said. Gabe took the backpack from her hands and helped her with the zipper,

 

“There you go,” he said, handing it back to Tegan, “you need help with anything else?”

 

“Yes, uncle Cas… can you help me with my hair?” she asked.

 

“Sure, c’mon let’s sit down,” Cas kissed Dean on the cheek and then he followed Tegan to the living room.

 

“Want a beer?” asked Gabe,

 

“Water is fine, I’m gonna drive,” said Dean,

 

“Oh, right,” they walked to the kitchen and Gabe handed Dean a glass of water.

 

“So, you guys ready?” asked Gabe,

 

“I guess,” said Dean with a nervous chuckle,

 

“What did you do today?” asked Gabriel,

 

“Cleaned the rooms for the kids, bought kid proofing shit and stuff the kids need… then we went home and baby proofed the house,” said Dean,

 

“That’s all?” asked Gabe,

 

“We had lunch and took a bath,” said Dean,

 

“Man, I thought you would’ve been going at it like freaking rabbits,” said Gabe with a shrug.

 

“Why?” asked Dean,

 

“Dude, it was like your last day of being just you two,” said Gabe,

 

“And we were supposed to do it for hours because of that?” asked Dean,

 

“Man, having kids means you don’t have time four yourself anymore,” said Gabe,

 

“Dude, don’t be so dramatic… they’re just kids, besides… Cas and I are a team, we can handle this and make time for just the both of us if we work together,” said Dean,

 

“Don’t let the romance die Dean-o… I think what I admire the most of you two is the fact that you’ve been together forever and you still act like cute boyfriends in love,” said Gabe,

 

“Dude, sometimes I still can’t believe that he loves me back, it feels like a freaking miracle, of course I act like an idiot in love because, well… I’m an idiot in live; it doesn’t matter how much things change around us because we’re together and we make each other strong,” said Dean.

 

“You’re probably right… I just, I couldn’t sleep last night and I binge watched this weird show about divorced couples,” said Gabe,

 

“Wow… any advice?” asked Dean,

 

“Don’t get married?” asked Gabe playfully,

 

“Kinda late for that one,” said Dean rolling his eyes,

 

“Okay then… don’t let romance die, always make time for just the two of you and have sex at least twice a month,” listed Gabe.

 

“Don’t worry… we’re still living our honeymoon stage; plus Cas is trying to make up for all those years he spent without sex. If I were a woman I would probably have like 4 kids already,” said Dean chuckling,

 

“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that,” said Chuck walking into the kitchen with Leonard in his arms,

 

“Jesus,” said Dean turning red.

 

“So… I’m officially changing the number of our landline… it is getting ridiculous,” said Chuck.

 

“Crap, that sucks,” said Dean grateful for the change of subject.

 

“I don’t know how but some fans got the number and they’re calling to ask about the tour… they want to know if we’re going to cancel it,” said Chuck,

 

“Some people can really be insensitive,” said Dean.

 

“Yes… I’ve disconnected all the phones until the company changes the number,” said Chuck while stopping Leonard from sucking his thumb.

 

“My employees told me a couple of reporters waited for me outside the bakery yesterday for like 3 hours,” said Gabe.

 

“Maybe you guys should stay inside for a few more days,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, you’re probably right,” said Chuck.

 

“It’s just the scandal of the week… we just have to wait until a celebrity gets a divorce or a Kardashian has another baby and people will forget about our suffering,” said Gabe.

 

“Life goes on… people will forget and eventually even for us it won’t be that painful,” said Chuck; it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Dean or Gabe.

 

Charlie joined them in the kitchen with Alan in her arms,

 

“He’s about to fall asleep,” she said, “oh, hi Dean,”

 

“Hi Red, how are you doing?” asked Dean,

 

“Hanging in there I guess,” she said,

 

“Where’s Dorothy?” Asked Dean,

 

“She had a lot of homework, she spent the whole week by my side but she needs to finish all her assignments if she wants to finish her business class with good grades,” explained Charlie, “I basically forced her to stay home today doing homework,”

 

“That’s cool… I’m really glad you have someone to be there for you no matter what,” said Dean.

 

“Me too, you have no idea,” said Charlie.

 

“We’re ready!” said Tegan walking into the kitchen,

 

“The twins are ready too, we should put them in the car, they look ready for a nap,” said Charlie. Everyone helped placing the kids’ stuff in the cars; they didn’t have much with them but still, with the stroller and the 3 suitcases they managed to fill the impala’s trunk.

 

“Okay, this is it I guess,” said Dean while carefully placing Leonard in his car seat.

 

“Call if you need anything,” said Chuck,

 

“Don’t worry, I think we have everything under control,” said Dean.

 

“Thanks for everything dad, we’ll see you tomorrow,” said Cas hugging his father.

 

“You know? Even though I’m sad… I’m also happy to see the kind of selfless person you are son, thanks for doing this,” said Chuck. He had no idea how much his words helped lift Cas’ spirits.

 

“We were raised by two of the most selfless, loving and caring fathers in the world dad… I think it’s our turn to do the same for the kids,” said Cas.

 

“Don’t forget Bobby is dropping by later with his truck to pick up one of the cribs,” said Dean.

 

“Of course,” said Chuck with a nod.

 

They hugged and said goodbye. Tegan joined Charlie in her car and Dean and Cas drove with the twins sound asleep in the backseat of the impala.

* * *

 

Dean placed 4 pairs of little jeans and a bunch of onesies in different colors inside the stroller.

 

“Dude, there are like 10 pairs of jeans for each baby in here,” said Charlie, she was carrying Leonard in her arms.

 

“Babies are messy and the clothes are cute, you gotta admit that,” said Dean. Charlie lifted a little leather jacket from inside the stroller and chuckled,

 

“You’re gonna spoil the shit out of this kids,” she said.

 

“Probably,”

 

Cas and Tegan joined them in that moment.

 

“Look what we found,” said Cas holding a purple sheet set.

 

“Wow, exactly the color of the paint we got for your room,” said Charlie.

 

Tegan nodded,

 

“I thought you guys were looking for socks,” said Dean placing the sheets in the stroller.

 

“I know, but it’s crazy… they have all these beautiful stuff for children. I don’t think people can leave this store without buying something,” said Cas.

 

“They should really have shopping carts in here,” said Dean pointing at the stroller. Alan was inside the stroller still napping but since it was a double stroller they had taken Leonard out and started placing all the shopping in his place.

 

“People don’t usually buy half the store in one visit,” said Charlie.

 

“The kids need clothes,” said Dean.

 

“I still need socks,” said Tegan.

 

“C’mon I’ll help you with those… we still need to get you new underwear and pajamas,” said Charlie.

 

“I can do it,” said Cas.

 

“Are you sure?” said Charlie pointing at the set of sheets.

 

“Okay, you have a point,” said Cas.

 

“Be right back, here’s the list of the stuff we still need to get for the twins,” she handed a piece of paper to Cas, “and Dean stop picking just jeans, they need more things.”

 

“Okay,” he said with a pout.

 

“Oh, and I’m getting one of those baby carrier things… or maybe 2. This is the first store we visit and we’re running out of space in that stroller,” she said handing Leonard to Dean.

 

“Get those in black preferably,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Charlie taking Tegan’s hand.

* * *

 

“I already have pajamas,” said Tegan,

 

“I know Teg but you’ve been wearing the same ones the whole week, we should wash those and you’re gonna need to wear something to sleep. I know you have more pajamas with your stuff but Dean says they won’t be here until Wednesday,” explained Charlie.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan.

 

“So, what do you want? Hello Kitty? My little pony? Star Wars?” asked Charlie.

 

“Can I get Star Wars pajamas?” asked Teg confused,

 

“Of course,” asked Charlie.

 

“My mommy loved Star Wars,” said Tegan.

 

“Have you seen the movies?” asked Charlie,

 

“Only the first one,”

 

“Who’s your favorite character?” asked Charlie smiling,

 

“Chewie,” said Tegan,

 

“I bet we can get you some Chewbacca pajamas, c’mon,” she held Tegan’s hand and guided her through the store.

* * *

 

Leonard started fussing and pointing at the floor.

 

“Hey, don’t cry Len… we’re buying you new clothes,” said Dean rocking the baby. Leonard looked at his surroundings; the place was colorful and huge and he wanted to walk.

 

“We should see if we can find him new shoes, Gabe said he would need new ones soon,” said Dean.

 

“Can you take care of that? I just saw some t-shirts that seem to have a nice texture for Alan, I want to give them a look,” said Cas.

 

“Sure, c’mon Len,” Dean placed him on the floor and the little boy instantly started walking fast.

 

“Jesus, we need to get a couple of baby leashes too,” said Dean taking Leonard’s hand.

 

“I think they’re called safety harnesses,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Yeah, whatever… they’re leashes for babies,” said Dean. He pulled Len’s hand and the baby started walking following Dean’s direction.

* * *

 

“Charlie is right, I’m going to spoil the shit out of you,” said Dean ruffling Leonard’s hair. The boy smiled at Dean.

 

They reached the shoes section and Dean had to control himself when he found little rain boots with the pattern of tiny blue ducks.

 

“Oh my god, these are so cute… and look at those, Cas has those exact same vans; can you imagine? You already look like miniature versions of him… I need to buy you and Alan those freaking shoes,”

 

“Can I help you?” asked a young lady with short brown hair and big brown eyes.

 

“Yeah, I am looking for shoes for this little dude but I have no idea of what his size is,” said Dean.

 

“Don’t worry sir, we can measure his feet here and we’ll find out,” she said smiling at Dean.

 

“Oh, that would be great,” said Dean.  

 

“This happens a lot, you know?” she said.

 

“What?” asked Dean while helping Leonard to sit on a small green chair.

 

“Usually the moms are the ones who know about this stuff, I get a lot of confused dads trying to guess the sizes of their kids and all that,” she said.

 

Dean didn’t know what to say and he wasn’t in the mood to have a stupid argument about gender role stereotype so he just answered with a shrug. The lady placed a cardboard with a picture of a small left foot on it. She told Dean to put Len’s foot over it and Dean did as he was told. Once they saw the mark that showed Leonard’s size Dean asked her for the vans he had previously seen.

 

Dean placed Leonard back on the chair and started playing with his hair,

 

“We need to call Missouri soon kiddo, this is getting out of control,” said Dean, “you look cute though, so maybe just the tips… as long as it doesn’t cover your eyes I don’t care if your hair is long, I think it looks awesome,” he said.

 

“Oh god, he’s so handsome,” said a woman standing next to Dean. She looked around Dean’s age and she was so tanned she looked orange.

 

“Thanks,” said Dean.

 

“He yours?” she asked,

 

“Yeah,” said Dean.

 

“I’ve never seen a cuter baby,” she said smiling at Len.

 

“Thanks,” said Dean smiling.

 

A girl around Tegan’s age came running towards the lady holding a pair of pink sneakers.

 

“Mom, these ones,” said the girl.

 

“Okay honey, let’s wait for the lady and we can ask for these in your number,” said the woman to her daughter.

 

“Your wife must be beautiful… I mean, you’re really handsome too I guess your kid was meant to look this beautiful,” said the woman to Dean. He started to feel a little uncomfortable, was she trying to flirt with him?

 

“Oh thanks, I don’t have a wife though-“ said Dean. The woman didn’t let him finish,

 

“Oh, so you’re part of the club too? Being a single parent is hard but it has a lot of good things too… specially when we have other parents to help with… what we need,” she said batting her eyelashes.

 

“No, what I was trying to say-“ She placed her hand on Dean’s shoulder and looked at him very suggestively.

 

“Here are the shoes sir,” said the saleswoman saving Dean from the awkward situation.

 

“Those shoes are really cute,” said the persistent orange lady. Dean put the shoes on Leonard’s feet and made sure that they fit fine.

 

“Yeah, he looks awesome, can I see those rain boots with the ducks too?” asked Dean.

 

“Sure,” said the saleswoman,

 

“Oh, can you show me these sneakers in size 11 please?” said the orange lady.

 

“Okay, I’ll be right back,” Dean cursed internally he didn’t want to be left alone with the orange woman. He started taking Len’s shoes off without making eye contact with the lady.

 

She just looked at Dean’s hands gently untying the shoelaces. He had removed his ring earlier before taking the bath and he had forgotten to put it back.

 

“You have a steady pulse, are you a doctor?” she asked. Dean raised his eyebrows.

 

“Nah, just a mechanic,” said Dean.

 

“Well, you have big hands… I bet you can do wonders with those,” said the woman winking at Dean. What the hell was wrong with her? Her kid was sitting right there.

 

“Wow,” said Dean to her face.

 

“Sorry, was I too straightforward? I guess you understand, when one is a single parent there’s no time to lose in these kind of situations,” she placed her hand on Dean’s knee.

 

“Okay, I think I’m a little lost… I don’t think there’s a situation here,” said Dean.

 

“Are you sure?” she asked. Dean grabbed her hand and took it off his leg.

 

“Yep, I’m pretty sure,” said Dean.

 

Cas showed up right in that moment to save the day.

 

“I got him like 6 different t-shirts, I had to wake him up and he wasn’t happy about that but at least he approved my choice in textures,” said Cas to Dean. Cas of course didn’t notice the awkward environment surrounding him.

 

Dean stood up and showed Cas the shoes he had picked up for Len.

 

“Aren’t they the freaking cutest?” asked Dean.

 

“Charlie is right, we’re being ridiculous… and I don’t care,” said Cas smiling.

 

“I want to get a pair for Al too, you think they’re the same size?” asked Dean.

 

“Probably,” said Dean.

 

“Hey Al, wanna try some new shoes?” asked Dean to the baby inside the stroller. He picked him up and sat him next to his twin.

 

“Oh my god, you have two!” said the orange woman.

 

“Yeah, we do,” said Dean looking at Cas.

 

“Oh, is he?” the woman looked at Cas first and then at Dean.

 

“You didn’t let me finish, I don’t have a wife, I have a husband… and my kids are handsome because they look like him,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, wow… yeah, they- they look a lot like you,” she said awkwardly to Cas.

 

“Everybody keeps telling me that, but I say it’s just the eyes,” said Cas with a smile.

 

“Wait, they have two daddies?” asked the little girl to her mom.

 

“Katie, shut up,” said the orange woman.

 

“Why? How did they get 2 dads? I don’t have a dad and mom says we have to find a new dad for me, she’s always looking for new dads and your kids have 2, that’s not fair,” said the girl.

 

Dean chuckled and the orange woman was now red.

 

“Well, sorry kiddo… it just kinda happened,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Mom you’re not doing it right… they have 2 dads!” said the girl upset.

 

“Hey, don’t be mean to your mom, she’s trying kiddo,” said Dean.

 

The saleswoman returned in that moment.

 

“Here you go… rain boots for you and pink sneakers for you,” she said.

 

“Thanks, let’s go pay,” said the orange woman standing up.

 

“But mom, I have to try them first,” said the little girl.

 

“Yeah, right,” said the woman.

 

The woman seemed weird to Cas, but he just ignored her when he saw the little rain boots.

 

“Those are the cutest rain boots I’ve ever seen and we should buy them now,” said Cas smiling at Dean. Incredibly Alan loved them; Cas concluded it was because the boots were a little loose on his feet and the little boy didn’t feel the usual pressure from his shoes.

 

“Let’s get him another pair of rain boots, I think we found the perfect shoes for him,” said Cas smiling. Alan kept laughing and clapping while he walked in his new boots.

 

They stood up, grabbed their stuff and said goodbye to the orange woman,

 

“Bye, good luck with your search,” said Dean.

 

“Thanks,” she said almost in a whisper.

 

“What was that?” asked Cas.

 

“She was flirting with me,” said Dean.

 

“Really?” asked Cas squinting his eyes.

 

“Yeah, she really is desperate for a father for her kid… she asked me if I was a doctor,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“Why would she think you’re a doctor?”

 

“She said I have a steady pulse and big hands,” said Dean winking at his husband.

 

“Well, you do,” said Cas. He placed a soft kiss on Dean’s cheek, “but unfortunately for her, those hands… are mine,” said Cas winking back at his husband.

* * *

 

 

By the time they finally arrived to Dean and Cas’ house they were starving. Luckily Jody had called them an hour before offering to cook something for them.

 

“Jesus, it smells amazing,” said Dean walking into the kitchen.

 

“I made chicken Parmesan,” said Jody.

 

“God bless you Jody Mills,” said Dean.

 

“I’m soooo hungry,” said Tegan walking into the kitchen followed by Charlie and the twins.

 

“Well young lady, go wash your hands, dinner is ready,” said Jody smiling. Tegan nodded and ran to the bathroom.

 

“Where’s Bobby?” asked Dean.

 

“I sent him to buy ice cream,” said Jody, “the crib is upstairs already,”

 

“Great,” said Dean.

 

“Okay I just put the first load of laundry,” said Cas joining them.

 

“Did you buy them new clothes?” asked Jody,

 

“They bought half of the mall, I still don’t know how we manage to fit all the stuff in our cars,” said Charlie.

 

“Wow Al, look at your boots!” said Jody noticing the little boy.

 

“He’s obsessed,” said Dean.

 

“He looks fantastic,” said Jody smiling.

* * *

 

15 minutes later they were all sitting at the table,

 

“Kid, you should feed the twins first and then you can eat,” said Bobby to Dean,

 

“Why?” asked Charlie,

 

“Because a hungry baby is an angry baby and you won’t have a nice dinner if your babies are crying and throwing things… if you feed them first, they relax and get sleepy and then you can eat,” explained Bobby.

 

“Wow, you should write a book Bobby,” said Charlie. Dean sat Leonard on his lap while Cas did the same with Alan. Charlie helped them cutting the chicken and the vegetables for the kids in small pieces.

 

“There you go,” said Charlie handing them each a plate.

 

Bobby helped Tegan to cut her chicken and while Dean and Cas fed the twins Tegan talked happily,

 

“I can’t wait to paint my room… we found a paint that is purple and you can draw on it with chalk!” said Tegan excited,

 

“That sounds awesome,” said Jody,

 

“And we’re painting 2 walls lilac and 2 walls purple, I can’t wait,”

 

“I bet is gonna look great honey,” said Bobby.

 

“Grandpa Bobby, did you help uncle Dean paint his room when he moved into your house?” asked Tegan.

 

“Yeah, at first they were just boring old guest rooms but after a while we ended up buying wallpapers and paint… it was actually during their first Christmas break here, Cas and Gabe helped us,” said Bobby. Tegan nodded and kept eating.

 

“Maybe tomorrow we can spend the whole day painting your room,” suggested Jody,

 

“No, tomorrow we can’t,” said Tegan.

 

“Why not?” asked Dean.

 

“Because it’s uncle Gabe’s birthday, you forgot?” said Tegan.

 

“Oh f- fudge!” said Dean stopping himself from saying a bad word. Charlie giggled,

 

“I completely forgot,” said Bobby.

 

“Hey, it’s okay… I think it’s understandable,” said Jody.

 

“I didn’t forget but he hasn’t said anything so I’m assuming he’s not in the mood for a celebration… which is, as Jody said, understandable,” said Cas.

 

“Man… it’s Gabe’s favorite time of the year,” said Dean in realization.

 

“He doesn’t want a cake and he say we’re not in the mood for a part because we’re all sad and parties are happy,” said Tegan.

 

“Oh, wow,” said Charlie.

 

“Is it wrong if I’m happy sometimes?” asked Tegan,

 

“What? No Tegan, of course not,” said Dean.

 

“Teg, it is perfectly normal to be sad right now, we’re all sad and we all miss your parents,” said Bobby, “you’re allowed to be sad kiddo, but it doesn’t have to be forever,”

 

“I’m sad but I don’t want to be sad all the time, I want to be happy sometimes too,” said Tegan.

 

“Then be happy sweetheart,” said Jody.

 

“But, what if my mommy and my daddy see me from heaven and they see that I’m not sad and they feel bad because they think I don’t miss them?” asked Tegan. Dean could feel his heart break with the girl’s words.

 

“Tegan, would your parents ever want you to be sad?” asked Cas,

 

“No,” said Tegan while shaking her head.

 

“If your parents can see you from… heaven. I think they would understand that you miss them but that you want to be happy and enjoy your life,” said Cas.

 

“I guess,” said Tegan.

 

“Honey, believe me… all parents want is for their kids to be happy, okay?” asked Jody.

 

“You promise they won’t be mad if I don’t cry all the time?” asked Tegan.

 

“I promise,” said Jody.

 

“So, can we visit uncle Gabe tomorrow and give him a present and a candle?” asked Tegan.

 

“A candle?” asked Bobby.

 

“For his wish, you only get one wish every year!” she explained rolling her eyes.

 

“Oh, sure… actually Cas has all that we need to make a candle, we could do that after dinner and that would be an excellent birthday present,” said Dean.

 

“I already bought him something like 2 weeks ago but this could be Tegan’s present… I’m pretty sure he’ll love it. We don’t have to have a big party just the family having a nice lunch and that’s it,” said Cas, “I’ll call Gabriel after dinner,”

 

“Maybe we’ll finally meet his girlfriend,” said Charlie.

 

“That would be awesome,” said Dean while wiping Len’s cheeks.

* * *

 

After dinner Dean took Nik for a walk. He wanted to help the rest of the family with the cleaning of the kitchen but Charlie had volunteered herself and Tegan to do the dishes while Jody and Cas gave baths to the twins.

 

Cas thought Nik might feel a little neglected with all that had been going on the last days so Dean offered to take him for a walk and let him see something else apart from their house for a change.

 

They were passing Marcy’s house when Dean received a call on his phone.

 

“Heya Sammy!” he answered happily,

 

“Hi Dean, how’s it going?” asked Sam,

 

“Dude, we had a crazy day… spent most of our afternoon at the mall buying a shitload of clothes and stuff for the kids,” said Dean.

 

“So it is really happening,” said Sam. Dean couldn’t see him but he was sure his brother was smiling.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean.

 

“How are you feeling?” asked Sam,

 

“I’m terrified man, I mean, everything’s cool so far, the kids hadn’t cry a single tear; Tegan seems happy… we even found shoes that Alan actually likes to keep on; it’s just… I don’t know man, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop,” said Dean.

 

“Man, they’re kids, you can’t predict how they’re gonna react, don’t worry about it Dean… I’m pretty sure you and Cas can deal with anything,” said Sam.

 

“Yeah, teamwork… that’s the key,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, that’s why I’m driving to the other side of town to buy Jess a specific sandwich she’s craving,” said Sam laughing.

 

“Oh, already with the cravings? I thought that didn’t happen until like after the first trimester,” said Dean,

 

“Well, it’s different on everybody… she doesn’t have any other symptom apart from the occasional morning sickness but today she’s been talking about that sandwich nonstop. Her shift ends in a couple of hours so I’m gonna buy her the sandwich and then pick her up from the hospital,” explained Sam,

 

“Such a good husband Sammy,” said Dean.

 

“I try my best,” said Sam.

 

“I know it’s only been a few days but I already miss you bitch,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, I miss you too jerk… you know, everything that happened kinda left me thinking,” said Sam.

 

“Yeah, I know,” said Dean, “but I already promised you, if something, god forbids, ever happens to you and Jess, we’re gonna take care of Sammy Jr. Don’t worry,”

 

“Thanks a lot man,” said Sam.

 

“In exchange, if something ever happens to me and Cas then you’re stuck with my 3 kids,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“We have a deal,” said Sam chuckling too, “I think it’s the first time I hear you call them your kids like that, you know? Cas said it the other day when he argued with Naomi but I figured you were too scared to say it out loud,” confessed Sam.

 

“Not scared… more like – I kinda wanted to make sure that Cas was sure. After what happened with Cas a few months ago and then Ben, I just didn’t want to deal with another situation like those ever again,” said Dean. Nik stopped to smell a tree and Dean took a moment to rest.

 

“How’s Cas dealing with all this?” asked Sam.

 

“It’s been hard, he keeps having nightmares and overthinking everything… but I kinda understand him, you know? He hates changes and a lot has changed in the last week,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, must be extra difficult to him… but he’s doing his best, I’m sure,” said Sam,

 

“Yeah, he is,” said Dean.

 

“So… anyway, I just wanted to make sure that you guys are doing fine,” said Sam,

 

“Thanks Sammy,” said Dean.

 

 

“I gotta go now but I’ll call you tomorrow so you can tell me everything about your first night with kids in the house,”

 

“We’ll be fine… I mean, 0ne year olds sleep through the whole night, right?” Asked Dean,

 

“Yeah Dean, usually after the 6th month babies learn to do that,” explained Sam,

 

“Someone has been studying,” said Dean,

 

“You should too man,” said Sam,

 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Dean.

 

“Well, call you tomorrow Dean, good luck!”

 

“Thanks, remember to call Gabe tomorrow too, it’s his birthday,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, I know… good night,” said Sam before hanging up.

 

Dean kept walking Nik purposely avoiding to think about all the questions he had about raising kids.

* * *

 

Dean found Jody and Cas getting the boys ready for bed in their provisional room. They would be sharing a room and a crib for a few days until their rooms were ready.

 

“How did bath time go?” asked Dean.

 

“It went perfect, you know how much they love water… specially Alan,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean smiling when Jody started drying Leonard’s hair.

 

“I texted Missouri on my way back, the boys have an appointment with her tomorrow,” said Dean.

 

“At what time?” asked Cas,

 

“Noon… she’s really excited to give them their first haircuts,” said Dean. He helped Jody to dress Leonard while Cas carefully combed Alan’s long hair.

 

“Let’s hope for the best… I’m not sure how Al is going to react,” said Cas,

 

“Man, I really don’t mind if he has long hair… as long as he’s comfortable. I was just thinking maybe like the tips a little and some bangs… he always has his hair over his eyes and I think it’s kinda uncomfortable,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, you’re probably right,” said Cas, “Should we get them different haircuts each?” asked Cas.

 

“I don’t know… I mean, they look cute and I kinda like the fact that they look almost identical… I now when they grow up they’re gonna want to look different and all that so… can’t we just enjoy this stage of their lives?” asked Dean.

 

“We don’t have to dress them with identical clothes though, right? Because I hated that when I was a kid and Gabe wasn’t even my twin,” said Cas.

 

“No identical clothes,” said Dean smiling.

 

They finished getting the boys ready for bed and then placed them in the crib.

 

“Oh my god, the crib mobile is beautiful,” said Jody.

 

“I found it today in the mall… the Little Prince is one of my favorite books and I thought I could share that with the kids,” said Cas. The mobile had little wooden figures of the red plane, the rose, the fox, the snake and the little prince, based on the original art of the book.

 

“I can’t wait to see their rooms finished,” said Jody smiling. She patted Dean on the shoulder and then walked towards the door, “I’m gonna let you guys have this moment… this is the first time you put the twins to bed in their new house and well… as your kids; I know you still need to do a lot of legal stuff and sign a lot of papers but they are yours now and believe me, this moment, when you first put your baby to sleep after you finally get to bring them home… it is important,” she said with a sad smile.

 

Dean smiled back at her and then she left the room.

 

“They look so innocent,” said Cas staring at the babies. Dean placed his arm around his husband’s waist.

 

“They are, they don’t know how screwed up this world is… and it is our job now to make sure that they remain innocent for a long time,” said Dean.

 

“You’re right… I just want them to be happy,” said Cas.

 

“That’s what Jill and Mike would have wanted,” said Dean.

 

“I’m pretty sure they also would have wanted their 5 year old to take a bath before bed,” said Cas.

 

“You’re probably right,” said Dean smiling. They watched the babies for another minute before turning on the baby monitor and leaving the room.

* * *

 

“Boys, we’re gonna call it a night,” said Bobby when Dean and Cas walked into the kitchen.

 

“Already?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, these last few days have been exhausting,” said Bobby.

 

“Have a good night and call us if you need anything,” said Jody hugging Dean.

 

“Thanks for everything Jody,” said Dean.

 

“Anytime Dean,” she answered.

 

“I better go too,” said Charlie standing up. She had been drawing with Tegan on the kitchen table.

 

“Wait no… we still need to- um, Tegan sweetie, can you go to our room and bring us the baby monitor? It’s like a big white cell phone next to the bed,” said Dean. Tegan stood up, hugged her grandparents and then left the kitchen. Dean waited until he saw her on the stairs to talk again, “we still need to give Tegan a bath,” he said.

 

“So what?” asked Charlie.

 

“Thought you could help us with that,” said Dean.

 

“Man, you’re aware she’s gonna be living here for at least 13 more years? Do you expect me to come every night to give her a bath?” asked Charlie.

 

“Yeah, no… you’re right,” said Dean.

 

“Dean, chillax man… this isn’t gonna be weird if you don’t make it weird,” said Charlie.

 

“Charlie is right Dean, Tegan doesn’t know the concepts society has created around nakedness and a relationship between a paternal figure and a girl. I’m pretty sure if we take it normal then she will too,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, we’re gonna go… good luck with that,” said Bobby, “maybe you can make her wear a swimsuit until she’s old enough to take a bath on her own,” said Bobby. They left the kitchen and a few seconds later Dean, Cas and Charlie could hear the front door being closed.

 

“That’s actually a good question… not the swimsuit, I mean; at what age can one take a bath on their own? I don’t remember when did I start to do it… probably after mom died since dad wasn’t the father of the year. What about you Cas?” asked Dean,

 

“After Gabriel turned 6 and decided to eat a slice of cake while we were taking a bath… I refused to take another bath with him after that,” said Cas.

 

“I think I was around 5 or 6 when my mom finally deemed it safe for me to take baths by myself with just a little supervision from time to time,” said Charlie.

 

“Really?” asked Tegan who was standing behind Dean.

 

“Oh, hi there Tegs… did you find the baby monitor?” asked Dean. She nodded and handed it to him.

 

“My mom said I could take a bath by myself after Leonard learned how to walk. She said I’m a big girl and that she still had to take care of 3 baby boys… I think she counted wrong because I only have 2 brothers,” said Tegan. Charlie chuckled.

 

“Want to take a bath then? It’s almost bed time,” said Dean.

 

“I didn’t have a bedtime at grandpa Chuck’s,” said Tegan.

 

“Well… remember we talked about routines? Asked Cas. Tegan nodded, “bedtimes and an organized schedule during schooldays are part of a routine,”

 

“What’s my bedtime?” asked Tegan.

 

“What was your bedtime in Pierre?” asked Dean,

 

“10:30,” she lied.

 

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” said Dean laughing, “nice try though… what about 6:30?” he asked joking,

 

“What? No! I’m not a baby,” she said worried. Cas grabbed his phone and started typing.

 

“Kids 10 to 15 months are supposed to go to bed between 6 and 8pm depending on their napping habits. The twins still take a 2 hour nap during the afternoon so I’m thinking maybe 7:30 for them so Dean can get to see them when he comes back from work during the week,” said Cas without taking his eyes from the phone, “kids from 3 to 5 years old should go to bed between 7 and 8:30 pm depending if they still take naps, which you don’t so I would say 8 pm for you?” he asked,

 

“Okay but I’m gonna be 6 soon, you said kids from 3 to 5,” she said.

 

“And if you do good in school and get used to our new routine then we can discuss adding 15 extra minutes for your bedtime, but we’ll have to wait a few months for that,” said Dean looking at his husband for approval. Cas nodded and smiled.

 

“What about weekends?” asked Tegan. Charlie snorted; the more time they spent with the little girl the more they realized she was a small version of Jill, not only physically but in personality too.

 

“We can be a little more flexible with that. We have to wake up early on Saturdays so Fridays remain the same but you can stay up until 9 on Saturdays,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” she said with a smile.

 

“Well seems you have everything under control. I better go, I’m pretty sure Dorothy is still doing homework and I need to make sure she stops for a break and to eat something,” said Charlie grabbing her bag. She hugged Dean and then Cas and wished them good luck.

 

“You got a pretty sweet deal for your bedtime here missy, you’re a good negotiator,” said Charlie ruffling Tegan’s hair.

 

“I know, my old bedtime was 7:30 and 8:15 on weekends,” said the little girl smiling.

 

“We’ve been played,” said Dean.

 

“Have we ever told you that you’re a weird mix between Charlie and your mother?” asked Cas smiling at the little girl.

 

“Thank you,” said Tegan smiling and blinking repeatedly. The 3 of them walked Charlie to street and waited until she left.

 

“Okay kiddo, time for your bath… if you hurry up we can work on that candle you want to make for your uncle Gabe,” said Dean winking at her. Tegan ran into the house.

 

“Don’t run!” yelled Dean and Cas at the same time.

* * *

 

Tegan’s bath was uneventful. She was really excited because her new room had it’s own bathroom. They helped her get the bath ready and everything she would need and then they waited in the room for her to be ready.

 

They killed time by changing the sheets in Tegan’s new bed and getting her clothes out of her suitcase.

 

Dean was a little scared at first but after a few minutes where all they could hear coming from behind the slightly ajar door was the sound of Tegan playing with her toys and splashing some water he finally relaxed a little.

 

“Tegan, are you cleaning yourself or just playing with your new toys?” asked Cas after a few minutes.

 

“Can you help me with the shampoo?” she asked. Cas opened the bathroom door and found her with a lot of foam on her head.

 

“Did you get excited with the shampoo?” asked Cas smiling.

 

“Mom and dad usually helped me with that part,” she explained.

 

“You should have told us,” said Cas. He grabbed a small purple bucket from Tegan’s toys and started carefully pouring water on her hair.

 

“Sorry,” she said.

 

“Don’t apologize sweetheart, it’s okay… we’re all learning; this is new for all of us. Next time if you wanna do it by yourself just use less shampoo,” he said, “or call me or Dean and we can help you, don’t worry about it,”

 

“Okay, thanks,” she said.

 

 

“Not a problem,” said Cas. “Now, just 5 more minutes and then we’re taking you out of that bathtub before you end up looking like an old lady,” said Cas standing up from the edge of the tub.

* * *

 

By 8:47 Tegan was sound asleep in the couch between Cas and Dean in the TV room. They had worked on the candle for Gabe and then watched an episode of adventure time; Tegan wanted to watch another one but she obviously was exhausted. Cas turned off the TV and Dean carried her to her new room.

 

Dean placed her in her bed and kissed her on the cheek.

 

“Goodnight Tegs,” he whispered. Cas tucked her in and then kissed her forehead.

 

They turned off the light and then left the room.

* * *

 

“Well, that was easy,” said Dean walking out of the bathroom after his shower, “Tiring but easier than I expected,”

 

Cas yawned and nodded.

 

“I guess we’ll get used to this,” he said. Dean put on a clean pair of pajama pants and an old t-shirt and climbed into bed next to his husband.

 

“It’s freaking 9:30 on a Saturday night and all I want to do is fall asleep,” said Dean.

 

“Me too,” said Cas. He turned off he light and then got comfortable between his husband’s arms.

 

“They’re really good kids,” whispered Dean.

 

“I know,” said Cas.

 

“We should get some shuteye, they’re probably gonna be up around 7,” said Dean. Cas buried his face on Dean’s chest and cursed.

 

“And I think we need to work on a plan here, or at least read a little about kids… it’s a good thing we kinda agreed in the whole bedtime thing but what if we’d had different opinions? We can’t argue in front of the kids, we need to agree in everything for this to work,” said Dean.

 

“You’re right. I’m pretty sure Jill had a lot of books about kids so hopefully we can inform ourselves from them. In the meantime we have the internet and our parents,” said Cas, “now please, let’s sleep I know it’s early but somehow I feel like I’m not going to sleep for enough hours”.

 


	22. It’s your birthday dude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Gabe's birthday, the twins get their first haircuts and the whole family finally meets Tish, Gabe's girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry it took me this long to update! I've been really busy.

* * *

 

October 30th

 

Castiel was comfortably asleep in his husband’s arms when he heard a loud cry that made him sit up so fast his head was spinning,

 

“Dean?” he said trying to understand what was going on,

 

Dean was already awake and looking pretty confused as well. Cas grabbed the baby monitor but to his surprise the boys were sleeping peacefully on the screen,

 

“Tegan?” whispered Dean standing up. They ran towards Tegan’s room to find her sitting on the bed crying out loud.

 

“Teg, sweetheart, what’s going on? Are you hurt?” asked Cas turning on the light.

 

“I had a bad dream and then I- I opened my eyes and the room was dark and I forgot where I was… s-s-sorry,” Dean and Cas sat on the bed leaving her between them.

 

“Are you afraid of the dark? I had no idea,” said Cas,

 

“Last month some girls f- from my school were telling scary stories and now I need to sleep with a-a light on,” she confessed between sobs.

 

“Oh, Tegs you should’ve told us sweetie,” said Dean hugging her.

 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

 

“There’s nothing to be sorry about kiddo, we understand,” said Dean.

 

“Do you want a glass of warm milk to help you go back to sleep?” asked Cas.

 

“Yes please,” she said.

 

“Okay, I’m gonna tuck you in and read you a nice story while Cas goes to the kitchen to get your milk, would you like that?” asked Dean. Tegan nodded.

 

Cas placed a soft kiss on top of her head before leaving the room.

 

It took almost half an hour and leaving the lights of the hallway on but eventually Tegan was able to go back to sleep.

 

When they returned to their room it was already 3:17 am.

 

Five minutes later both of them were sound asleep.

* * *

 

Dean was sleeping peacefully when he felt a light touch on his arm. He ignored it but a few seconds later he felt again something against his left arm.

 

“Cas, man… it’s too freaking early, even for me,” he said without opening his eyes.

 

“What?” asked Cas who had his head resting on Dean’s chest.

 

“It’s too freaking early man,” said Dean.

 

“I agree shut up and go back to sleep,” said Cas with his deep voice. A minute later Dean felt the touch on his cheek followed by a couple of giggles. When he opened his eyes he saw 4 blue eyes staring at him,

 

“Am I dreaming?” he asked when he saw the twins standing next to him,

 

“Milk,” said Leonard showing his empty bottle to Dean.

 

“Cas, wake up,” said Dean sitting up in shock.

 

“What?” asked Cas, “oh my god, what are they doing here? What time is it?” he asked,

 

“It’s 6:48 am and apparently Leonard wants milk,” said Dean.

 

“How did they get out of bed?” asked Cas confused,

 

“More important… didn’t we buy freaking baby proof door locks?”

 

“Milk,” insisted Leonard showing his bottle to Dean.

 

“Oh, right… sorry buddy,” he stood up and grabbed the bottle from Len’s hand. Dean noticed that Alan had his own bottle in his hand too, “you want milk too Al?” asked Dean. Alan gave him the bottle.

 

“Are they going to wake up at this time every day?” asked Cas. The kids had stayed before with them but Jill had always been there to take care of them and neither Cas nor Dean had noticed how early the kids could wake up.

 

“I hope not,” said Dean. He placed Alan on the bed and then lifted Leonard with one arm, “I’m gonna get the milk Al; stay here with Cas,” said Dean.

 

Cas heard Dean leaving the room and he wanted to go back to sleep but he knew he had to be a responsible adult and take care of Alan.

 

“Alan, why don’t we go back to sleep?” asked Cas to the baby. With one arm he held the baby to his chest and with the other he started playing with his long hair.

 

Alan didn’t complain; he relaxed against Castiel’s chest and enjoyed the quiet time with his uncle. Both were slowly drifting off to sleep when Dean and Leonard returned to the room.

 

“You guys sleeping?” asked Dean. Cas opened his eyes and smiled when he saw little Leonard drinking from his bottle while Dean carried him in his arms.

 

“We were just resting our eyes,” said Cas, “Alan do you want your milk?” Alan didn’t bother to sit up; he just stretched his arm waiting for Dean to hand him his bottle.

 

“Here you go buddy… I really envy that weird ability babies have of eating while sleeping,” said Dean smiling at the little Boy. He placed Leonard next to his brother and then climbed into bed. Both babies were in the middle between Dean and Cas.

 

“Do you think this is alright? Should we allow them to go back to sleep here?” asked Dean.

 

“I don’t know… I mean, as long as it’s only a one-time thing… we don’t want this to become a regular event,” answered Cas.

 

“Dude, as long as we get to sleep for at least another hour I really don’t care,” said Dean.

 

They were about to fall asleep when they heard Tegan walking into the room,

 

“We wanna sleep here too!” she said. Dean opened his eyes and saw her carrying Nik in her arms. Dean smiled and moved a little to his right to leave her place between him and Leonard.

 

“Well, what are you waiting for? Looks like we’re having our first lazy Sunday morning,” said Dean with a grin. Tegan climbed into bed and placed Nik by the twins’ feet, then she took her place between Len and Dean.

 

“It’s a good thing you insisted on buying a king size bed when we got the furniture for this room,” said Cas with a yawn.

 

“Told you,” said Dean with a chuckle.

 

In less than 5 minutes the whole family was sleeping again.

* * *

 

 

They had a great morning. The kids woke up again at 8:15 and they watched cartoons in the TV room while Dean and Cas made breakfast.

 

“I think we’re gonna need to put a TV here in the kitchen… that way we could watch the kids while we cook,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, I’m sure it has nothing to do with you being able to watch your shows when it’s your turn to cook,” said Cas.

 

“No, I’m just thinking about the kids,” said Dean.

 

“It actually sounds like a good idea, I was thinking we could put a playpen over there,” said Cas pointing at a big space next to the kitchen table, “I’m not sure about allowing them to watch a lot of TV but maybe they could have like an hour in the morning while we get breakfast ready,” said Cas.

 

“Sounds good to me, we’re gonna need to find them activities and stuff to do with their free time though,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, once Tegan starts school I’ll have more free time during the day to start looking for activities for them,” said Cas.

 

“And what about the tour?” asked Dean,

 

“Oh, right… I need to talk about that with dad. I’m not sure if I should go,” said Cas.

 

“Think it’s too soon?” asked Dean.

 

“I’m not sure if I’m ready to face all those questions from the press… about Michael,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, but I mean… you were so excited about it Cas; I know you’re sad, hell we’re all sad but I’ve been where you are now babe, when my dad died I felt numb, you know? Like I didn’t know what was next and I couldn’t understand that whole ‘life goes on’ shit because, it seems like something impossible at the moment… take all the time you need to be sad Cas but just don’t stop doing what you love because you’re afraid it is too soon,” said Dean while placing a bowl with fruit on the table.

 

“I’m going to think about it, okay?” asked Cas. He stood behind his husband and placed his arms around Dean’s waist.

 

“Like I said Cas, take your time babe,” said Dean smiling. Cas placed a kiss on the back of Dean’s neck.

 

“Thanks for being here,” said Cas.

 

“Always Cas,” said Dean turning around. He placed a soft kiss on Cas’ lips.

 

“As much as I appreciate the beautiful moment we’re sharing I think we have 3 little kids to feed and dress,” said Cas.

 

“You’re right,” said Dean chuckling.

* * *

 

 

After breakfast they took the kids upstairs to dress them. Tegan insisted she could get ready without help and they let her.

 

“I placed a basket with all your clean clothes in your room Tegan, just grab what you want to wear today,” instructed Cas.

 

“Thanks,” said Tegan walking into her room. She still found it weird to have such a big room just for her.

 

“Cas! A little help here!” yelled Dean from the room the twins were sharing.

 

“Coming!” answered Cas.

 

He opened the door of the room to find a crying Leonard in Dean’s arms and a scared Alan inside the crib.

 

“What happened?” asked Cas. The original bed of the room was still there, they had moved it to a corner to leave more room for the crib. Cas took Alan and sat on the bed with him.

 

“They were playing in the bed while I looked for their clothes… Leonard pushed Alan, and Al hit him,” said Dean trying to console Leonard.

 

“Alan, you shouldn’t hit your brother, you hurt him and his feelings,” said Cas to Al.

 

“I don’t think he was trying to be mean… I think he was trying to play too but he used to much strength,” suggested Dean.

 

“He seems scared,” said Cas.

 

“Leonard started to cry right away and I kinda raised my voice, sorry,” said Dean.

 

“Hey, it’s okay… we’re all learning,” said Cas.

 

“Alan, hitting your brother is wrong, even if you were only playing… don’t hit him, okay?” asked Cas. Alan looked at his brother and pointed at him, “yeah Len is your brother and he loves you; don’t hit him again okay?” asked Cas. “Did he hurt him bad?”

 

“He seems fine, I think he just was caught by surprise, that’s all,” said Dean. He handed Leonard to Cas.

 

“Okay boys, why don’t I take Leonard to wash his face and Dean stays with Alan to show him that he loves him and he didn’t mean to raise his voice,”

 

“Sounds like an excellent idea,” said Dean looking worried. Cas stood up and walked towards the bathroom, he could hear Dean talking to Alan in the room.

 

“Hey bud, sorry I yelled at you, I got scared and I didn’t know how to react, I’m kinda new at this,” said Dean. Cas smiled and proceeded to wash Len’s face.

* * *

 

 

By the time the twins were calmed and ready to go, Charlie and Dorothy were sitting at the kitchen table with Tegan.

 

“Hi girls, didn’t hear you come in,” said Dean with Alan in his arms.

 

“We just arrived,” said Dorothy.

 

“Oh, wow… Tegs, interesting choice of clothes,” said Dean noticing what the little girl was wearing.

 

“Dean I found my phone, we’re ready to go we just need to wait for… oh hi, you’re already here!” said Cas walking into the kitchen with Len in his arms.

 

“Uncle Cas! Look… I dressed myself,” said Tegan. She was wearing leggings with purple and pink stripes; a black denim skirt, a pink blouse with white dots, and red sneakers.

 

“I can see that,” said Cas.

 

“Shouldn’t we…” said Dean looking at Cas.

 

“I think it’s great that you’re searching for your own style Tegan,” said Dorothy, “I’m a huge fan of the leggings… it’s kinda cold outside though, I heard on the news it might even snow tomorrow so why don’t you grab a jacket?”

 

“Dorothy is right Tegan, we don’t want you to get sick, go grab your jacket and then we’re ready to go,” said Cas. Tegan smiled and then ran to the stairs,

 

“Don’t run!” yelled Dean and Cas at the same time.

 

“So… that’s new,” said Dean once Tegan was out of the room,

 

“She looks like she let a blender decide her outfit… but in a cute way, you know? It’s cute she’s trying,” said Charlie smiling.

 

“I think it’s nice she’s embracing her originality… maybe I’ll talk to her about colors and shapes eventually or I don’t know I might just let her figure it out on her own,” said Cas.

 

“So, we won’t say anything then?” asked Dean.

 

“No,” said Charlie and Cas at the same time.

 

“Sorry, sorry… I just, I never went through that stage. I’m not sure my dad would’ve allowed it anyway; Bobby would’ve taken a lot of pictures though,” said Dean.

 

“She’s trying to be a big girl,” said Charlie.

 

“Well I guess as long as she wears warm clothes it doesn’t matter if she looks like a freaking pride parade,” said Dean with a shrug.

 

“So... ready for these guys’ first haircut?” asked Charlie looking at the twins.

 

“Yep,” said Dean.

 

“I have my jacket,” said Tegan walking into the kitchen putting on her purple jacket.

 

“Let’s go, Tegs you’re going with Dorothy and Charlie,” said Dean.

 

“But I wanna see how they cut the twins’ hair!” she said,

 

“We’re going to the same place sweetie, but we can’t all fit in the same car,” said Dorothy.

 

“Oh, okay,” said Tegan.

 

“Let’s go then,” said Dean.

* * *

 

“Well hello, it’s nice to see you all,” said Missouri when the group walked into her salon.

 

“Hello Missouri,” said Castiel.

 

“Castiel sweetheart, I’m so sorry about what happened… I’m sorry I didn’t make it to the funeral,” said Missouri.

 

“It’s alright Missouri, you weren’t in town, you don’t need to apologize,” said Cas. Missouri nodded,

 

“I called your daddy yesterday, we talked a lot, I think he needed that,” said Missouri,

 

“I’m glad you helped him… he’s been bottling up his feelings,” said Cas.

 

“Good old Chuck,” said Missouri. She looked at Tegan who was standing behind Charlie,

 

“And who do we have here? I haven’t seen you in a while Tegan,” said Missouri,

 

“Hi,” said Tegan.

 

“Do you remember me?” asked Missouri. Tegan nodded. Missouri also said hi to Charlie and Dorothy; she was a big fan of Dorothy’s café and she was actually a regular client.

 

“So, the day is finally here, are these handsome boys ready for their haircuts?” asked Missouri.

 

“They have no idea what’s going on,” said Dean.

 

“I was thinking maybe you should cut Len’s hair first to show Alan that everything’s fine,” said Cas. Dean was still holding Alan in his arms; it was obvious that he was still feeling guilty for yelling at the boy.

 

“Okay then, come here kiddo,” said Missouri taking Leonard from Cas’ arms,

 

“How did you know that’s Len?” asked Dean,

 

“He looks relaxed and he looked at me in the eye when I talked to him,” said Missouri, “Alan looks more alert and he avoids eye contact,” said Missouri. She sat the baby on a high chair and covered him with a plastic cape. He looked at her with curious eyes.

 

“Sit down girls, this might take a while,” announced Missouri. Dorothy, Charlie and Tegan sat at an old wooden bench. Dean and Cas stood close to Leonard but letting enough space for Missouri to work.

 

“So, how short?” asked Missouri,

 

“Just a little trim, we kinda like it like that… we were thinking maybe bangs because we’ve noticed they keep pushing the hair away from their eyes,” explained Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Missouri nodding. She grabbed a pair of scissors and started working patiently,

 

“See Al? Missouri is cutting his hair and it doesn’t hurt, Leonard looks fine, right?” said Dean. Alan kept looking at Missouri and the locks of hair falling to the ground. He pointed at the small bunch of hair forming in the floor.

 

“That’s his hair, like this,” said Dean grabbing a lock of Al’s hair. He stared at his brother during the whole process.

 

“You’re doing great Len,” said Castiel. Missouri kept working and after only 15 minutes she was done,

 

“Cutting hair from little kids is hard, they move a lot sometimes,” she explained, “but Leonard did fine,” she combed the boy’s hair and then removed the plastic cape.

 

“Look at that Leonard, that’s you,” she said pointing at the mirror. Leonard smiled and waved at his reflection,

 

“I think he likes it,” said Charlie. She snapped a few pictures and then Missouri lifted him from the chair and handed him to Cas.

 

“Okay, here you go,” she handed him to Castiel, “Now it’s your turn Alan.”

 

Dean placed him on the chair carefully and helped Missouri with the cape. They waited for a few seconds but the only thing the boy did was to touch the cape over and over again,

 

“He likes the texture,” said Cas smiling. Missouri nodded and started combing his long hair.

 

“Okay Alan, you just saw what we did with your brother’s hair… we’re gonna do the same thing with yours,” she explained carefully. As soon as she placed a hand on Alan’s head the boy froze, “relax sweetie,” said Missouri,

 

“NO!” yelled Alan; he started shaking his head.

 

“Alan, Missouri is your friend, she’s not going to hurt you,” said Cas. He handed Leonard to Dean and then he walked towards Alan. “Don’t cry Alan,” said Cas. Alan looked at him with teary eyes. Cas held his hand, “let’s give it another try, I’m going to hold your hand and protect you, okay?” asked Cas. Alan didn’t react. Missouri approached him again and it was the same thing as soon as she touched his head he started screaming.

 

“This isn’t working,” said Dean worried.

 

“It’s okay Al, don’t cry,” Cas lifted him from the chair and held him against his chest, “you’re scared of Missouri because you don’t know her but she’s a good friend… she loves us. She cuts my hair since I was a little boy and I hated it too but she was really patient with me,” said Cas. Alan hid his face on Cas’ chest. Cas looked at Missouri and gave her a sign to start cutting the boy’s hair. Cas held him still and kept saying soothing words.

 

“What is she doing?” asked Tegan,

 

“Teamwork,” whispered Dean.

 

Slowly Missouri started cutting the back of Al’s hair. It was only a trim but it took her a long time. When she was about to cut the last lock Alan noticed something was going on and turned his head a little. He saw Missouri holding his hair and he didn’t know what to do. She didn’t let him react, she cut the last tip of hair and then she surprised everyone by handing the boy the lock of hair.

 

He grabbed it and observed it carefully.

 

“That’s your hair, it didn’t hurt when I cut it, did it?” asked Missouri. He threw it in the air and laughed.

 

“See Alan, a haircut isn’t painful,” said Cas.

 

“Now I need to cut your bangs kiddo, I think it would be a good idea if you sit back in the chair,” Cas placed him in the chair. Missouri grabbed some hair from the floor and handed it to the boy. “Look at your hair, it’s weird to know it used to be in your head, isn’t it?” she asked,

 

The boy lowered his eyes and started touching the hair in his hands. Cas held his head and then Missouri proceeded to finish the haircut.

 

“That was the most stressful haircut ever,” said Dean once she had finished.

 

“I’m pretty sure it will get better with time,” said Missouri, “We’re gonna become good friends eventually.”

 

“He’s gonna love you,” said Dean. They said goodbye to Missouri and paid for the haircuts.

 

“Have a nice day, I’ll call Gabe later to wish him a happy birthday,” she said.

 

They left her building and climbed back in the cars.

* * *

 

“That took more than what I expected,” said Dean walking into their house.

 

“We’ll just give them a quick bath and then head to my dad’s,” said Cas scratching his neck.

 

“Are you alright Cas?” asked Dorothy.

 

“No, I feel itchy… I think that’s what happens when a baby gets a haircut while you’re carrying him in your arms,” said Cas.

 

“Babe, you should go take a shower while we take care of the kids,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, I’ll help him and Dorothy can play with Tegan while they wait.

 

“C’mon I saw a few board games in the TV room,” said Dorothy taking Tegan’s hand.

 

“Awesome,” said Tegan.

* * *

 

Charlie finished shampooing Len’s hair and then carefully proceeded to rinse it,

 

“Well I guess you’re lucky your bed is huge,” she said after Dean told her about their morning.

 

“It was weird… I mean, it was cool, you know? Like having a nice lazy morning in family; it made me think about a lot of things,” said Dean,

 

“Like what?” asked Charlie,

 

“Like, I mean… I know Tegan sees us as their uncles taking care of them but what do you think the boys think? You think they know what’s going on? They’re acting so cool, like they’ve been here forever…” explained Dean,

 

“They’re babies Dean… there’s no way to know what they’re thinking,” said Charlie.

 

“I called them ‘my kids’ yesterday… I told a lady in the mall and I told Sam too… I used those words ‘my kids’… and it kinda freaks me out,” said Dean.

 

“They’re yours now Dean,” said Charlie.

 

“It’s all happening so fast,” he said, “I feel like… I feel like I shouldn’t be this happy right now. It’s been only a week and I mean, don’t get me wrong… I’m so freaking sad, I hate knowing that I’ll never be able to talk to Jill on the phone again but… I’m so stupidly happy right now too and I know there’s nothing wrong with a little happiness but Red… Chuck’s probably crying in his freaking room while I’m here smiling like an idiot because my freaking kids got their first haircuts today,” he said.

  

“Dean… there’s not a guide for how to react to a situation like this; there’s not a right answer… all I know is that even if it hurts like a bitch… Mike and Jill are gone but we’re still here and we need to go on with our lives and we have to find a way to do that. For you that light, that something… that reason to go back to smiling and being happy is having these amazing kids. A wise man once said ‘happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light…’ it won’t take us all the same to find that light. For some of us it’ll take a while but we’re all gonna be there eventually man. That’s what’s happening to you Dean, you found the freaking light and you’re confused because it wasn’t supposed to be that easy,” she explained.

 

“First of all, I love you so much Red… second, quoting Albus Dumbledore to cheer me up is always a great idea and third… I think you just described exactly what’s going on; Cas has been feeling like shit lately and I’m there for him and I listen to him and talk to him… I give him advice but apparently I can’t put that same advice to practice when it comes to me. You know? He’s worried he will never stop being sad and I’m worried because I’m allowing happiness to take away all the bad stuff,”

 

“It’s kinda poetic in some way,” she said.

 

“I guess,” said Dean.

 

“You shouldn’t be afraid to talk to Cas. He’s your husband; I know you don’t want him to be sadder or to make him think about what happened but you should tell all of this to Cas… that’s gonna help both of you,” said Charlie.

 

“How are you coping?” asked Dean.

 

“A lot of ice cream and crying while my girlfriend holds me,” said Charlie. Dean handed her a towel and then they took the twins out of the bathtub.

 

“Red, we’re here for you too, you know that, right?” asked Dean.

 

“Thanks Dean,” said Charlie smiling.

 

“Dean, love… I’m ready,” said Cas walking into the twins’ bathroom.

 

“The kids are clean, we just need to get them some clean clothes and we’re ready to go,” said Dean standing up.

 

The 3 of them worked together and in less than 20 minutes they were all ready to go.

 

* * *

 

 

“Take a sit guys, Gabriel is out… he’s having brunch with his girlfriend,” said Chuck walking into the living room with his family behind him.

 

“That’s good, he needs the distraction,” said Castiel.

 

“Poor Tish almost had to drag him out of the house,” said Chuck.

 

“That bad?” asked Dean raising his eyebrows.

 

“Tegan, sweetheart, why don’t you take Nikola Tesla outside to play with Bert?” asked Chuck to his granddaughter.

 

“Okay,” she said,

 

“Be careful and don’t play close to the pool, don’ take off your jacket,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” she said, “c’mon Nik,” the dog followed her out of the room. They waited for a few seconds before talking again,

 

“He thinks it’s wrong to be celebrating life when we’ve just lost 2 family members,” said Chuck sitting down on his couch.

 

“It’s not like we’re throwing a parade,” said Charlie.

 

“That’s what I told him, we don’t need to have a huge party with music and dancing but it wouldn’t hurt to be together as a family,” said Chuck.

 

“What did he say?” asked Cas.

 

“He said he felt so much at the same time and that he hated feelings… luckily Tish arrived like 5 minutes after that and she managed to make him leave the bed,”

 

“And… how are you doing today Chuck?” asked Charlie.

 

“Feeling like 0.00001 better than yesterday,” said Chuck,

 

“Well, it’s something,” said Dean.

 

“Today it’s particularly random… I’m extremely sad because I lost a son and a girl that was like a daughter to me, but I also feel grateful because it’s Gabriel’s birthday and I still have him with me- I don’t want to take my family for granted ever again, you know?” he said with a sad expression. He took a deep breath and shook his head, “so, let’s be happy today and celebrate Gabriel’s birthday,” said Chuck. Dean nodded.

 

“A day at the time Chuck,” said Dean.

 

“That’s the idea… seeing you all together and well is a huge motivation guys, I swear,” Chuck said, “anyway, let’s change the subject a little, let’s stop being sad for a moment…How did it go with the kids?” asked Chuck,

 

“Great… it umm, it was great. This morning the boys woke us up pretty early because they wanted milk… I didn’t even know that Len knew that word,” said Dean scratching the back of his head.

 

“Oh yeah, he does that,” said Chuck with a little smile, he turned his attention to his grandsons who were playing with some cars on the floor.

 

“And today we got them their first haircuts,” said Dean.

 

“I can see that…was it- was it difficult with Alan?” asked Chuck looking worried.

 

“It took a while and Cas had to carry him in his arms most of the time but Missouri managed to do it,”

 

“I’m glad to hear that,” said Chuck, “I mean, to be honest if he didn’t bite her during his first haircut then that’s a win,” he chuckled,

 

“Why would he… oh my god, which one of your sons did it?” asked Charlie laughing.

 

“Cas,” said Chuck.

 

“Are you kidding me?” asked Dorothy. Cas’ face turned pink and he buried his face on Dean’s arm.

 

“Oh, c’mon Cas… don’t be ashamed it’s a cute story,” said Dean with a soft voice.

 

“It was that lady’s fault… her hand was too close to my face probably,” he said turning his head to look at Dorothy and Charlie.

 

“What happened?” asked Dorothy to Chuck,

 

“That poor woman… she talked a lot and her voice was loud but she was the one in charge of Naomi’s haircuts so we took Cas with her. It was 2 days after Cas’ first birthday… she kept talking and telling Naomi about her weekend and her laugh was so loud. There was this moment when I saw Cas and I knew he was stressed, I was about to suggest that we should take a break when she tried to cut the hair close to his ear and then it happened, Cas just did it and she let go of the scissors and looked at Cas like he was the little kid from the omen,” Chuck was laughing by the end of his story.

 

“Did she finish the haircut?” asked Dorothy,

 

“Of course she did, she was a professional, oh and she didn’t say another word after the incident; I think she had never been quieter in her life… we never took Cas with her again of course. It actually became a really long journey of hairdressers and barbers until finally Bobby told me about Missouri,” explained Chuck.

 

“I guess you guys were lucky, Alan liked Missouri,” said Charlie.

 

“You’re right,” said Cas smiling at the boys.

 

“We should go check on Tegan,” said Dean.

 

“I’ll do it,” said Cas standing up. Dean nodded. 

* * *

 

 

“Hi Tegan, you’re gonna need to come inside soon it’s getting cold out here,” said Cas sitting on a the bench, next to Tegan.

 

“5 more minutes please,” she said.

 

“The dogs can come inside too, don’t worry,” said Cas.

 

“Uncle Cas…what happened to Bert’s mom? Did she go to heaven too?” asked Tegan while playing with Nik and Bert.

 

“No sweetie, she lives with her owner, Andrea,” explained Cas.

 

“And what’s Bert’s mom’s name? Asked Tegan.

 

“Coco,” said Cas.

 

“Why don’t he live with her?” she looked confused,

 

“Because with dogs it is different than with humans… dogs have a lot of puppies at the same time and sometimes owners can’t take care of them all so they give them to other people who want dogs and can take care of them,” explained Castiel.

 

“But, did Coco love Bert? Maybe she miss him,” said Tegan.

 

“She loves him a lot Tegs, and Andrea said we could visit Coco whenever we wanted… she’s very nice, we met her at the park a few years ago,” said Cas.

 

“Gabriel is here,” announced Chuck from the glass door that led to the living room.

 

“Let’s go inside. I’ll make you hot cocoa and we can give Gabriel his presents,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan. They went back inside and the dogs followed them.

* * *

 

“Oh wow, everyone is here,” said Gabe looking confused.

 

“Of course everyone’s here… it’s your birthday dude!” said Charlie.

 

“Guys I – I don’t know what to say… I guess I should- right, umm, yeah… well, first, this is my girlfriend, Tish,” said Gabe scratching his head,

 

“Hi nice to meet you all, I think he’s about to go in a comma for all the pancakes he had for breakfast,” said Tish. She was beautiful, taller than Gabe, with a black Afro formed by kinky hair, and big brown eyes.

 

“Wow,” said Dean and Charlie at the same time.

 

“She has that effect on people,” said Gabe,

 

“You’re beautiful, are you a model?” asked Tegan,

 

“Hi, you must be Tegan, your uncle Gabe talks about you a lot… I’m not a model, I used to be one when I went to college but I don’t model anymore. You’re beautiful too by the way,” she said to the little girl. Tegan gave her a huge smile.

 

“It is really nice to meet you finally,” said Castiel,

 

“Apparently Gabe isn’t that good at introducing people so… I’m Charlie, this is my girlfriend Dorothy, that’s Dean, his husband Cas who’s also Gabe’s brother. Those two over there are Leonard and Alan and well, you already know Chuck and Tegan,” said Charlie.

 

“Hey, I was gonna introduce you!” complained Gabe,

 

“When? Next month?” asked Dean,

 

“Sorry, I’m a little sleepy after breakfast and a little confused because I clearly said I didn’t want to celebrate my birthday… I was hopping all of you would act like it was just another day,” said Gabe.

 

“Gabriel, it’s your birthday and we all understand that it is hard right now to feel happy about something but we wanted to be with you today,” said Cas.

 

“I told them you don’t want a party and you don’t want a cake so we’re only having lunch together and we got you presents,” explained Tegan.

 

“Presents? Really?”

 

“Yes and we don’t have to sing ‘happy birthday’ because you don’t want to be happy today but umm… my mommy and daddy are okay if you wanna be happy sometimes too so don’t worry if you want to be happy today because they understand because it is your birthday and birthdays have to be happy like the song say,” explained Tegan to his uncle. He raised his eyebrows in shock when she mentioned her parents,

 

“And you’re okay with being happy today?” asked Gabe,

 

“It’s okay to be sad sometimes and it’s okay to be happy sometimes. My mommy and my daddy won’t get mad, don’t worry,” she said. Gabriel got on his knees and hugged Tegan for a long time.

 

“You’re the best niece in the freaking world, you know that?” he asked her. She kissed his cheek.

 

“And you guys are right, maybe not like a huge party but I like the idea of being with my family today,” said Gabe.

* * *

 

 

“So Tish, how did you meet Gabriel?” Asked Jody. The whole family was at the dinning table enjoying Italian food from Gabe’s favorite restaurant.

 

“Oh, it was actually at the dog park. I was there with some of my students and he just came to say hi,” said Tish.

 

“I can’t believe you had the courage,” said Charlie.

 

“It wasn’t easy but I really wanted to talk to her,” said Gabriel.

 

“Well, that’s understandable,” said Cas.

 

“I mean, yeah she’s the most gorgeous woman I’ve ever seen but it wasn’t about that,” said Gabe,

 

“Then?” asked Dorothy,

 

“He wanted to ask me a few things about my students; I’m an assistant teacher and a behavioral aid in the special class at the Hamilton elementary school,” they all looked at her like she had just said she invented the Internet.

 

“There’s a special class there? I- we hadn’t event though about that,” said Dean.

 

“That’s why Gabe talked to me. He saw me with my students and he wanted to know about special education and he told me about the recent diagnosis in his family,” she figured Tegan probably didn’t know about Alan’s situation so she didn’t say his name out loud.

 

“That’s sweet Gabe; the fact that you wanted to know more,” said Jody,

 

“Well, I love my family,” he said with a shrug.

 

“So you’re a teacher?” asked Tegan.

 

“Yes,” said Tish.

 

“And you take your students to the park to play with dogs? You must be the bestest teacher in the world,” said Teg.

 

“I like to think I’m a good teacher Tegan, but not all my classes are in the park, only special occasions,” she explained to Tegan.

 

“I hope my new teacher is nice and beautiful like you,” said Tegan.

 

“I hope so too,” said Tish.

* * *

 

After lunch Cas, Dean and Jody cleaned the table and brought coffee, hot cocoa and tea for everyone.

 

“I know you didn’t want a cake but I brought a box of doughnuts for the rest of us, you can eat lettuce if you want,” said Dorothy.

 

“Hey, I’m not gonna eat lettuce, Cas can have it if he wants he’s the one obsessed with eating healthy,” said Gabe.

 

“I just ate half a pizza so I think it is safe to say I decided to pause my diet for a few more days,” said Cas.

 

“Okay then, doughnuts for everyone,” said Gabe, “but no ‘happy birthday,’ I’m really not in the mood,” he said.

 

“Deal,” said Dorothy.

 

She grabbed the box of doughnuts from the kitchen and placed it on the table.

 

“Uncle Gabe, do you want to open your presents now?” asked Tegan.

 

“Sure,” he said. He looked at Chuck who was actually smiling and looked relaxed; that made Gabe feel a little better.

 

After the presents were placed on the table and everyone had their cups of tea and coffee, Gabe started opening presents.

 

“Tish already gave me my present during breakfast, she got me an awesome pair of sneakers, this jacket that I’m wearing and one of those stupidly big Toblerones,” he said.

 

“I love the jacket,” said Charlie,

 

“I know, right? Green is definitely my color,” he said smiling. He grabbed a random box from the table.

 

“Okay, this one is from dad,” he said. “Oh, wow… I love these, thanks,” it was a set of new aprons with funny phrases on them.

 

“I saw them and I knew I had to get them for you,” said Chuck. Gabe smiled at him.

 

“This one’s from Dorothy and Charlie,” he said. The box contained 3 bags of Halloween candy and a coupon for a couple’s weekend at a spa. “The weekend at the spa I can share with Tish, the candy I don’t think so,” he said.

 

“Figures,” said Tish.

 

“This one is from Bobby and Jody,” he opened a big green box, “wow a mini cotton candy machine, this is amazing,” he said smiling.

 

“Next year we gonna get you a new set of teeth after all the cavities you’re gonna get,” said Bobby.

 

“I promise I’ll brush my teeth before bed,” said Gabe.

 

“This box is from Cas… let’s see,” he carefully opened the box and everyone waited with expectant looks, “oh my freaking god… is this? Are… oh my god Cas!”

 

“What is it?” asked Bobby,

 

“Last month Gabriel mentioned this article about grasshoppers covered with chocolate he read in a magazine. He said he would like to try them some day and I thought it would be a perfect present since I always give him candy for his birthday and Christmas,” explained Castiel.

 

“You gave him grasshoppers?” asked Tegan in shock.

 

“They’re not alive… look,” Gabe showed her a bag filled with grasshoppers.

 

“And you can eat that?” she asked looking at the bag with curiosity.

 

“Yeah, wanna try one?” asked Gabe.

 

“I don’t know… you promise they won’t start walking in my mouth?” she asked,

 

“Promise, here… you try one and I try one,” Tegan grabbed one and put it in her mouth,

 

“It’s crunchy and… I like it,” she said smiling.

 

“I love it, good thing there are like 5 bags of these in that box Cas because I freaking love them, thanks man,” said Gabe smiling.

 

He opened Dean’s present next,

 

“Wow, Dean-o a coupon for a new set of tires for my car… how thoughtful. It already has four though,” said Gabe trying to annoy Dean.

 

“Yeah and you haven’t changed them in like 5 years,” said Dean.

 

“This coupon includes the mechanical work? Because I have no idea how to change a freaking tire,” said Gabe,

 

“I should’ve given you a coupon for a class of ‘learn basic stuff about your car’ or something like that,” said Dean rolling his eyes.

 

“You can still give me that for Christmas,” said Gabe.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“So there’s still a present left here… what could it be?” he grabbed the last box.

 

“That’s my present uncle Gabe!” said Tegan. Gabe opened the box and smiled,

 

“A candle,” he said,

 

“Yeah, you have to make your wish… I made it, well uncle Cas and uncle Dean helped me a little,” she said. Gabe had to run and hug his niece,

 

“Tegs this is the best present in the freaking world, ever,” said Gabe,

 

“You like it?”

 

“I love it, this is perfect,” said Gabe. The candle was shaped like a star and it was blue with purple glitter.

 

“Wanna make your wish?” asked Tish.

 

“Yeah,” said Gabe. They lit the candle and he stared at it for a while. Almost a minute later, he finally blew the candle.

 

“Thanks Tegs,” said Gabe.

 

They kept drinking coffee, hot cocoa and tea for a while; enjoying Dorothy’s doughnuts and learning more and more about Tish. Cas and Dean really wanted to talk to her but both knew it would be better to do it in another moment.

 

“Uncle Cas?” asked Tegan yawning,

 

“Yes sweetheart?” asked Cas,

 

“Can I go play with the dogs?” she asked,

 

“Yes, why don’t I put a movie in Netflix for you and the boys in the TV room and you can play there with the dogs?” asked Cas.

 

“Yes!” she said smiling.

 

“We’ll be right back,” said Cas.

 

“I’ll help you,” said Jody. She stood up and picked up Alan, “c’mon kiddo,” she said to the little boy. Cas grabbed Len and held him against his chest.

 

“C’mon Tegan, careful on the stairs, okay?” said Cas.

 

“He’s a natural with that,” said Bobby when he saw Cas leaving the room with the kids.

 

“I know,” said Dean smiling, “we’re kinda freaking out but we’re doing fine so far… I mean, it’s only been a day but Cas is taking it really cool; we were woken up pretty early today and then the kids ended up sleeping for almost a couple of hours in our bed,” explained Dean,

 

“You’re gonna have to work on new routines, that’s all,” said Charlie.

 

“I know, though I think with kids there are stuff you can’t control. Cas is being really patient and he’s really making an effort,” said Dean.

 

“I umm… I don’t know if I should give you my opinion,” said Tish,

 

“Please do, we’ve been waiting to ask you a lot of stuff actually but we just didn’t want to ask in front of Tegan, she doesn’t know yet about Al’s condition… now that I think about it I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know about Cas’ Asperger’s either,” said Dean.

 

“Well you’re gonna have to talk to her about it eventually,” said Tish, “but for now maybe you should focus on helping the kids adapt to their new lives… What I wanted to say though, and I mean- you obviously know Castiel better than I do, but something that could help him with all this changes is to keep one constant. For example, I don’t know if he has a favorite place of his house like a couch or a room or something like that,” she said,

 

“His studio,” said Dean,

 

“You should schedule ‘studio hours’ in his routines, that’s a constant you can keep. Cas’ time for Cas and even if you guys had a long stressful day that was totally random, he knows that his Cas’ time won’t change,”

 

“You’re a genius,” said Dean.

 

“I’m not a genius… I just do this for a living. That’s usually a technique we use with some of our kids when they go through big changes in their lives,” she said.

 

“Do you only work with autistic kids?” asked Charlie.

 

“No, unfortunately there isn’t a specialized school like that here in Sioux Falls… what we do is,” Cas and Jody returned in that moment.

 

“Oh hey guys, Tish is telling us about her job,” said Dean. Cas took his seat next to his husband and Dean held his hand, “you were saying Tish?”

 

“Oh, right… well how this works is that some of our kids are in this kind of limbo because they have some kind of learning disability but is not big enough to qualify them as complete candidates for ‘special education’… we have kids with down syndrome, with severe ADHD, with Tourette’s; kids in the Autistic spectrum, kids with William’s syndrome… there’s a couple of deaf boys and we have a girl that’s blind,” she said.

 

“Wow,” said Dorothy,

 

“Yeah but the thing is that these kids are capable of learning, and some of them are incredibly smart but sometimes they need more personalized attention in classes that are difficult for them. That’s what our class is for; the kids take regular classes but in classes they need special help they go to our classroom. For example, we have this boy, he’s autistic and he’s nonverbal but he’s so freaking smart, it’s amazing… so anyway, even the AP classes of math were boring for him so this year he started going to our class during third period and he takes a more advanced class there with a tutor,” Cas squeezed Dean’s hand and Dean placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

 

“Where was this when I was growing up?” asked Cas.

 

“This special class only started like 10 years ago,” said Tish, “The only problem is that right now it only works from Kindergarten to 3rd grade… after that the kids have to prove that they can keep up with the regular program,”

 

“What happens if they can’t?” asked Bobby,

 

“There are a few options,” she said,

 

“Like?” asked Cas,

 

“Well… homeschool is the most common. There are a few ‘special schools’ in town but they’re not specialized in a specific type of disability... and most of them are for kids with big learning difficulties. There’s a school for blind kids and there’s always the option of asking for a personal tutor to stay with the kid in regular school and help them,” she explained,

 

“Dude, you don’t need to worry about this stuff yet, he’s only a year old,” said Gabe.

 

“You’re right… we don’t even know in which part of the spectrum he is,” said Cas.

 

“What you do sounds great, it would’ve been awesome if Cas had had something like that when we were kids… maybe we would’ve finished school together,” said Dean, “but you’re right… we shouldn’t worry about it yet,”

 

“Yeah… I guess we’re going to need to talk about a lot of things once the boys start school; it’s a good thing we have Doctor Norton… and Tish,” said Cas smiling at her.

 

“I’m glad to be able to help,” said Tish.

 

“Tish… you’re not from around here, are you?” asked Jody,

 

“No, I’m from Nevada, I moved to Sioux Falls a year ago,” she said.

 

“And… why Sioux Falls?” asked Dorothy,

 

“Well, I was working at this private school in Chicago and it was great, a huge school specialized in kids in the Autistic spectrum and with ADHD, I loved it and I loved my students… last year one of my students had to move to a small town in New Mexico because of his dad’s job and his parents were really worried about the school situation because they couldn’t find a school like the one in Chicago and they didn’t know if his kid would be ready to go to a mainstream school… I kept in touch with them. He struggled a little at first but he managed to adapt to his new school… but it got me thinking, you know? How many kids are there in small towns trying to find a class that meets their needs? Chicago is a big city with a lot of opportunities but what about small cities without enough people specialized in those needs? So I started looking for those schools in small cities and I found Hamilton elementary here in Sioux Falls and another school in Dayton, Ohio… the school here was the first one to answer and they were really glad to find me because they were desperately searching for another teacher for their special class so, I moved to Sioux Falls,” she explained.

 

“Well you’re an angel then,” said Jody.

 

“Helping kids with special needs and dating Gabriel… girl, you’re going to heaven,” said Bobby.

 

“Hey!” said Gabe with a pout.

 

“Well, I love my job and I think Gabe’s alright,” she said smiling.

 

“You’re not that bad either,” said Gabe.

* * *

 

“Hey Tegs, we should let the dogs out for a few minutes, we don’t want them to have an accident inside the house,” said Gabe walking into the TV room, Dean walking behind him.

 

Tegan was busy with a coloring book while Nik slept next to her. The boys were sitting on the floor playing with Bert. Neither of them was paying attention to the TV.

 

“Okay,” she said. She closed her book and stood up. Gabe grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. “Can I have a cookie?” she asked,

 

“Only one and don’t eat it in front of your brothers… if we give them sugar now they won’t be able to go to bed,” said Dean.

 

“Thanks,” she said smiling.

 

Dean woke up Nik and then picked up Alan from the floor. Gabe took Leonard and they went back downstairs.

 

Gabe asked Tegan to join him in the backyard while he let the dogs out for a while, and after grabbing a cookie from the kitchen and putting on her jacket she followed her uncle.

 

“She seems like a nice kid,” said Tish. They were now in the living room.

 

“She is, we love her a lot,” said Dean smiling,

 

“Gan!” said Leonard,

 

“That’s right buddy, we’re talking about Tegan,” said Dean ruffling Len’s hair.

 

“They’re so sweet,” said Tish, “they look a lot like Cas,” she said.

 

“I get that a lot,” said Cas, “I think they look more like Jill,” said Cas,

 

“No dude, they have Jill’s nose but everything else is like 100% Novak; Tegan on the other hand… man, she’s a small version of Jill,” said Charlie.

 

“I know,” said Dean.

 

“She loves to hear that, you know? Every time someone tells her that she’s just like her mom she smiles,” said Cas. Alan stretched his hand and tried to grab Cas’ glasses, “and this little one loves to be in control of his surroundings. He needs to know what everything around him is,” said Cas handing him his glasses, “the textures, the sounds,” Alan took the glasses and looked at them for a few seconds before returning them to Castiel, “Leonard on the other hand, he just wants to walk and run and explore and he doesn’t care if the ground is flat or bumpy or if he has to climb stairs… he’s an adventurer and he loves to laugh,”

 

“You really love them, don’t you?” asked Tish,

 

“We all love them a lot,” said Cas squinting his eyes a little.

 

“Yeah, but you love them in a different way, they really are your kids now,” said Charlie. Cas placed a soft kiss on top of Al’s head.

* * *

 

“Uncle Gabe?” asked Tegan while she sat on the bench with her uncle,

 

“Yep?” he asked,

 

“I know you can’t tell me your wish because if you tell your wish it don’t come true but… did you wish with all your heart?” She asked,

 

“I guess, why?” asked Gabe,

 

“Can you tell me how long it takes for your wish to happen? My birthday is gonna be soon and I have an extra special wish,” she said looking at the sky. Gabe didn’t need to hear her saying it out loud to know what her wish was.

 

“Sweetheart, not all wishes come true,” he whispered.

 

“No but, birthday wishes come true if you wish with all your heart,” she said.

 

“How do you know?” asked Gabe,

 

“My mommy told me… and last year I wished it snowed the next day because I didn’t want to go to school and it snow next day and we had to stay home!” she explained.

 

“Maybe it was just a coincidence sweetie,” said Gabe,

 

“Nu-uh, mom said it was because I wished it with all my heart,” she said.

 

“I think there are some exceptions,” said Gabe, “there are some cases in which wishes can’t come true,” said Gabe,

 

“Like what?” she asked,

 

“You can’t bring your parents back Tegs,” he whispered.

  
“Are you sure?” she asked sounding very disappointed,

 

“I’m sure kiddo… I wish it was possible but, it isn’t,” he said.

 

“I miss them,” she whispered,

 

“I know kiddo… I know it’s extra hard for you but you’re being really brave,” said Gabriel playing with her hair,

 

“I’m not brave… I’m scared of lots of things,” she said,

 

“Yeah, but you face your fears Tegan… you’re an amazing little girl and you make us all see that we can be happy again. You and your brothers are our inspiration to keep going,” said Gabe,

 

“Really?” she asked,

 

“I promise,” said Gabe. She didn’t say anything for a while. And Gabe just stayed there enjoying the silence and watching the dogs play.

 

“It’s getting cold,” she said.

 

“Yeah, let’s go back inside,” said Gabe.

 

“We’re gonna need to buy a sweater for Bert,” said Tegan when the dogs followed them.

* * *

 

 

When Gabe and Tegan returned to the living room they found the family engaged in a very interesting talk,

 

“I just don’t check my social media anymore… I’m thinking of deleting my twitter account because it’s getting ridiculous,” said Chuck.

 

“That bad?” asked Bobby,

 

“People keep tagging me on headlines about the accident and I already know what happened, I don’t need them to remind me of that,” said Chuck.

 

“You could hire someone to take care of your social media, that way ‘you’ keep in touch with your fans and you don’t have to read the hurtful stuff some people might tweet you,” said Cas.

 

“Wow, I’m gonna ask Vicky to find a person to do that, sounds like an excellent idea,” said Chuck.

 

“What a modern topic you picked for your chat, people,” said Gabe taking a seat next to his girlfriend,

 

“You missed the beginning of this… Charlie was telling us about this option to turn your Facebook into an in memoriam thing after you die, she already started the process to do that with Mike and Jill’s,” explained Dean.

 

“What about twitter?” asked Gabe,

 

“I hacked into Jill’s account and made it private,” said Charlie.

  
“Wow,” said Gabe,

 

“I didn’t want to erase her tweets but I want people to stop tagging her in their stupid conspiracy theories and all that stuff,” said Charlie.

 

“People on the internet can be so weird,” said Bobby.

 

“I’m gonna take that as a compliment,” said Charlie making her family laugh.

 

“You know guys?” said Gabe, “even though I didn’t want a party I’m glad you showed up, this was a nice day and you were right, spending it as a family was a great idea,”

 

“Hey’, that’s what families are for,” said Dean.

 

“Thanks guys,” said Gabe.

* * *

 

 

The twins were already sound asleep when they arrived back home. Dean took Alan in his arms and Cas carried Len.

 

“I thought it would be harder for them to fall asleep,” said Dean while they were walking towards the kids’ room.

 

“Me too,” said Cas. He placed Leonard on the bed and stared changing him carefully.

 

“Are you planning on going back to work tomorrow?” asked Cas.

 

“No, I talked to Bobby today, he thinks I should take another week. To help you with all the kids’ stuff and to take care of Teg’s school situation,” said Dean. They finished changing the babies and then placed them into the crib.

 

“I still need to talk about the tour with my dad,” said Cas when they left the room.

 

“You made a decision yet?” asked Dean.

 

“Not really… but I still feel like we need to talk,” said Cas. They walked towards the other side of the hallway, to Tegan’s room.

 

“May we come in?” asked Dean knocking on the doorframe.

 

“Yeah,” she answered.

 

“Ready for bed?” asked Dean.

 

“Uh-huh,” said Tegan,

 

“Did you brush your teeth?” asked Cas.

 

“Yeah,” she said nodding.

 

“Okay, do you want us to read you a story?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes please,” she said.

 

“Okay, let’s see,” said Dean. Tegan had a big collection of books but they were still on the moving van. Cas had bought her 3 new books at the mall so she didn’t have a lot of options at the moment.

 

“The little mermaid!” she said with excitement.

 

“Okay,” said Dean; he grabbed the book and then rolled his eyes, “Cas, you got the original version of this,” he said chuckling,

 

“Yes, I enjoy the original versions better, I believe Disney’s adaptations are quite stupid and lack of feminism on their message,” explained Cas.

 

“I’m with you there man, but I don’t think the original version of any of those stories is appropriate for a 5 year old,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, you might be right,” said Cas.

 

“Why? What’s wrong?” Asked Tegan,

 

“The original stories were like horror stories… Disney changed them and made them all pink and with happy endings,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, then can you read something else please? I don’t want a horror story for bed,” she said.

 

“Okay,” said Dean,

 

“Wait, I know… can you tell me a story of when you were kids?” asked Tegan.

 

“Sure,” said Dean. He covered Tegan with the blankets and then they sat at each side of the bed leaving her between them.

 

“ What do you wanna hear about?” asked Dean.

 

“Can you tell me about your new school? When grandpa Bobby adopted you and you had to go to a new school,” she said. Dean looked at Cas in the eye for a few seconds; Cas nodded.

 

“Okay, so… I was 8 years old, right? We had spent the whole summer playing with the Novak kids and by that point I already considered Cas my best friend in the world…” Tegan and Cas listened to the story with attention. She fell asleep right after Dean told the part when Bobby took them for pizza after the first day of school.

 

“She looks so peaceful,” said Cas playing with her hair.

 

“I hope she stays like that forever,” said Dean standing up.

 

“We still have like 6 or 7 years before she starts wearing black eyeliner and slamming doors because we don’t understand her,” said Cas standing up too.

 

“I just realized,” said Dean looking at Tegan,

 

“What?” asked Cas squinting his eyes.

 

“I don’t know what’s it like to grow up with a girl… we were a bunch of boys, man. A bunch of annoying, weird, geeky and stinky boys,” said Dean.

 

“I believe girls mature sooner than boys and they start their biological changes towards adolescence sooner too,” said Cas.

 

“You know what? I don’t want to worry about that shit right now, like you said… we still have like 7 more years before that shit happens,” said Dean. They left the room but left the door ajar. They turned on the lights of the TV room and then walked to their room.

* * *

 

“Well, today was a productive day… I just want to sleep for at least 8 hours,” said Cas yawning.

 

“Me too, I’m not sleepy but I’m tired as fuck,” said Dean yawning too; Cas rolled his eyes.

 

“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” asked Cas taking off his clothes. Dean sat on the bed and started taking off his boots.

 

“We have an appointment at the school at 11 am… I don’t know if we should take the twins with us or just Tegs though,” said Dean. He stood up and unbuttoned his jeans.

 

“We could leave the twins with dad or Bobby and have a morning just with Tegan… I don’t want her to feel neglected because the boys require more attention sometimes,” said Cas.

 

“Two things,” said Dean looking at his husband.

 

“What?” asked Cas.

 

“First, that’s an awesome idea and two… your ass looks so fucking good right now,” said Dean winking at his husband.

 

“Thanks,” said Cas, “my ass is freezing though,” he grabbed a pair of pakama pants and put them on.

 

“Yeah, it’s starting to get really cold,” said Dean walking towards his husband, “I know a way to stay warm, I mean… if you want,” Cas chuckled.

 

“Really? Tell me more about it,” said Cas pushing Dean towards the bed.

 

“Well, you see… it’s a scientific fact, a naked body is like the best way to pass heat to another body, you know?” whispered Dean on Cas’ ear.

 

“So we’re just supposed to lie naked on bed?” asked Cas smiling.

 

“I mean… since we’re already gonna be naked… might as well use that time for other activities- say, I don’t know, maybe my husband fucking me senseless for example?” said Dean.

 

“Just to save time right? Since we’re already going to be naked anyway,” said Cas trying to suppress a yawn.

 

“Just to save time,” said Dean.

 

“Well… in that case.” Cas leaned over his husband and started kissing him. Dean reciprocated the kiss eagerly and soon both of them were under the covers making out.

 

5 minutes later both fell asleep. Both still half clothed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is still a bit angsty but don't worry next chapter we'll see the adventures of Dean and Cas trying to be parents and to get used into their new routine. Life starts to 'go on' and they're going to learn a lot.
> 
> Thanks for reading and for all the love. I'll try to update soon!


	23. Cas and I are here for you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween is here and Dean and Cas have to decide if they want to celebrate it. The moving van finally arrives with all the kids' stuff and the family starts renovating the house. 
> 
> Cas and Chuck argue, Dean remembers his mom and Tegan is smarter than they think.... but at the end of the day nothing else matters because there's pie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm back! I'm almost done with school so soon I'm gonna have free time again! Sorry it took me this long but the good news is that i'm almost done with the next chapter. 
> 
> Remember English isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistake.

October 31st

Cas woke up in the middle of the night because he started to dream he was running in the snow, naked. When he opened his eyes he realized he was only wearing his boxer briefs and that next to him was Dean, hogging all the blankets.

 

“I’m freezing,” whispered Cas. Why had he gone to bed only in his underwear? Oh, right he’d had sex wit Dean; well at least they tried to, they had been too tired to do more than a heavy make out session.

 

He got out of bed slowly and grabbed his discarded pajama pants from the floor. After putting them on, he grabbed a t-shirt from the closet and then left the room to get a couple of blankets from the linen closet next to the stairs.

 

He had just grabbed his blanket when he realized the kids might be cold too so he decided to grab extra blankets for them and check if they were doing okay; first he went to the room the twins were sharing, he found them sound asleep really close to each other. He touched their cheeks and noticed they were a little cold so he covered them with one of the extra blankets and then moved the thermostat up a few degrees. He was pretty sure it was going to snow soon.

After checking on the twins he went to Tegan’s room. When he opened the door he didn’t find her in bed though.

 

“Tegan?” he whispered. He walked into the room only to find her sound asleep on the floor. She was lying on a mat and she was only covered with a big beach towel. Cas kneeled next to her and shook her lightly,

 

“Tegan, wake up sweetheart… what are you doing here?” he asked worried.

 

She opened her eyes and even though there wasn’t a lot of light coming into the room Cas could see she was worried.

 

“Uncle Cas?” she asked rubbing her eyes, “Sweetheart, what are you doing here? Don’t you like your bed?” he asked. She started crying,

 

“Tegan, what’s wrong?” he asked.

 

“I’m sorry uncle Cas, please don’t get mad… I – I wet the bed, I’m sorry,” she said. Cas hugged her. She was cold.

 

“Tegan it’s fine; it was just an accident I’m sure… don’t worry, okay?” he said.

 

“I’m so sorry… I wet the nice purple sheets you got me, and my new pajamas,” she kept crying.

 

“Tegan, we can wash them, they’re not ruined… okay?” he wiped her tears with the towel, “What are you wearing?” he asked.

 

“I found these leggings in the basket with clean clothes,” she said removing the towel from her legs, “I kept my Chewbacca blouse on, it’s not wet,” she explained.

 

“I’m not sure what we’re supposed to do in these situations but I seem to recall you might need to take a bath… or maybe a quick shower since it’s like 3 in the morning. You’ll feel better and since we don’t want your skin to get irritated I believe it is actually the only option,”

 

Tegan stood up and ran towards the door; at first Cas thought she was going to leave the room but she actually just turned on the lights and closed the door.

 

“I don’t want uncle Dean to wake up,” she whispered. Cas nodded.

 

“Okay, c’mon just a quick shower and then you can sleep on the extra bed in the twin’s room,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” she said.

* * *

 

The alarm went off exactly at 7:45 am. Dean, as usual, woke up first. He sat up, rubbed his eyes and then stretched; Cas was sound asleep next to him. Dean stood up, grabbed his shirt and pajama pants from the floor and then stared at his husband. Dean chuckled when he realized they had fallen asleep while making out the previous night.

 

“Cas c’mon get up, we’ve got a lot of stuff to do today and I’m pretty sure at least the boys are already up,” said Dean. He walked towards Cas' side and shook him lightly.

 

“5 more minutes,” said Cas with his deep voice.

 

“Cas, we went to bed really early, c’mon we at least got like 9 hours of sleep,” said Dean.

 

“I didn’t,” said Cas sitting up; he looked grumpy.

 

“What? Why?” Asked Dean a little worried.

 

“Milk!” Came Len’s voice from the baby monitor. Dean grabbed it and saw that the twins were already awake and standing up in their crib.

 

“Okay, seems like the little dudes are hungry,” said Dean.

 

“I’ll go check on them while you start breakfast,” said Cas standing up and yawning.

 

“Cas, are you okay?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes, Tegan had another bad dream last night and I spent a couple of hours with her… I’ll tell you about it later,” said Cas.

 

“You think she’s fine? I mean she seems to be doing fine with her situation but what if maybe she’s not showing that on the outside but in her dreams, you know? Did she tell you what was she dreaming about?” asked Dean.

 

“No, she insists she doesn’t remember but she seemed really scared Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Milk!” said Leonard again.

 

“Jesus,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“C’mon before those two go nuts from milk deprivation,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, we’ll resume this talk later,” said Cas.

* * *

 

Fifteen minutes later the twins were happily sitting on a blanket on the big space next to the kitchen table, Cas was already picturing how a playpen would look like in that spot. Leonard was drinking his bottle and Alan was playing with Nik; his bottle, half empty, forgotten next to him.

 

Tegan had already helped Cas set the table and Dean was cooking breakfast.

 

“Did you sleep well Tegs?” asked Dean while placing a bowl with fruit on the table.

 

Tegan blushed and nodded.

 

“Y-yes uncle Dean,” she said. Se looked at Cas with pleading eyes.

 

“Tegan, we’re going to need to talk about this sweetie,” said Cas. She looked very concerned and shed a couple of tears.

 

“Hey, we don’t need to talk about it if you’re not ready yet,” said Dean hugging her.

 

“It was an accident,” she whispered, “don’t get mad please… uncle Cas said we can wash it,”

 

“Okay, I think I’m out of context here kiddo,” said Dean looking confused.

 

“Why don’t we sit at the table and talk, okay?” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan.

 

Dean and Cas finished bringing the food to the table and then they picked up the twins.

 

Dean took care of feeding Leonard and Cas had to struggle with Alan for a few minutes. The boy apparently was too entertained playing with Nik and he didn’t care about anything else at the moment.

 

“Alan, just have your breakfast and then you can keep playing with Nik,” said Cas. Alan ate slowly, staring at the dog and ignoring his surroundings most of the time, but at least he was eating.

 

“C’mon Tegs, eat your oatmeal… we’ll talk after the boys eat, okay?” said Dean.

 

Half an hour later the boys went back to the blanket on the floor. Leonard grabbed a set of blocks and started to play with them while Alan kept playing with Nik.

 

“Okay, those two finished their breakfast, and now I think we’re ready to talk,” said Dean. Tegan just looked at him, she grabbed a strawberry from the fruit bowl and started eating it.

 

“Okay, so your uncle Cas told me that you had another nightmare again last night, I’m just worried about you sweetheart, we just want you to be happy and healty kiddo,” said Dean.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said.

 

“Were you dreaming about your parents?” asked Dean. She didn’t say anything.

 

“Tegan, we’re not going to get upset… we really just want to help you,” said Cas.

 

“I gots scared of the crying lady,” she confessed,

 

“The what now?” asked Dean,

 

“Some girls from my school told me a story,” she said, “we had a slumber party in our old house; mommy said it was a goodbye party with my friends… I don’t like some of them but they came anyway, mommy invited everyone!”

 

“Okay, you had a goodbye party… was there a crying lady there?” asked Dean confused.

 

“No, mommy said it was bed time and she turned off the lights. I wanted to go to bed but Nancy said we should tell scary stories… she told us about the crying lady,” she explained,

 

“And who’s the crying lady?” asked Dean,

 

“She’s a ghost… she killed her babies a long time ago and she miss them so now she’s looking for new kids to take with her. Nancy said she only takes or- orph- kids with no mommies and no daddies. She said the lady comes into your room at night and she takes you with her to her house in the woods and then she kills you,”

 

“That’s horrible,” said Cas,

 

“And we got scared because Nancy said the lady comes at night crying for her babies and you can hear it sometimes… I told mommy next day but she said Nancy was just trying to scare us,”

 

“Yeah, she sounds like a mean kid,” said Dean.

 

“That’s why you have to sleep with a light on,” said Cas.

 

“Yes, everyone knows ghosts are scared of the light,” she said rolling her eyes.

 

“Yeah, of course,” said Dean.

 

“But now I’m extra scared because… I don’t have a mommy and a daddy anymore. The crying lady can come and take me,”

 

“Oh, sweetheart,” said Dean, “Your mom was right kiddo, that little brat was trying to scare you, that’s all,”

 

“How can you know?” she asked,

 

“Kiddo, I grew up without my parents and I never in my life saw the ghost of a crying woman in my room, I swear,” said Dean,

 

“But you had grandpa Bobby,” said Tegan rolling her eyes. She really had Jill’s personality, “he was your dad,”

 

“And you have us, Cas and I are here for you Tegs,” said Dean. She looked at him with wide eyes; she looked like she had just had an epiphany. She hugged Dean and then whispered,

 

“Thank you… I’m sorry I wet the bed and my new pajamas,”

 

“So that’s what this is all about? Kiddo I’m pretty sure it was an accident, don’t worry about that. I’m sure that the crying lady doesn’t exist but if you wanna feel safer we’re getting you a night light today okay?”

“Thanks,” she said.

 

“Okay then, we need to get the twins ready and you need to change. We have an appointment at the new school,” said Cas. Tegan smiled,

 

“C’mon then kiddo. Go grab something extra special to wear today,” said Dean. She nodded and ran out of the kitchen,

 

“Don’t run!” yelled Dean and Cas at the same time.

 

“So… that went better than expected, said Dean,” he started cleaning up the table.

 

“Yeah, and here we were thinking she was having a weird psychological reaction to the loss of her parents,” said Cas.

 

“I’d rather deal with annoying ghosts any day of the week,” said Dean.

 

“I know… I hope this is just a phase… she really loves Halloween and all those things,” said Cas.

 

“Well that Nancy kid told her a very specific story,” said Dean.

 

“We’re going to have to deal with a lot of things like that once she starts school,” said Cas. Dean picked up Leonard from the floor and Cas took Alan.

 

“I guess,” said Dean with a sigh, “but for now… we still need to get a babysitter for these two,” said Dean.

* * *

  

“So Tegs, you excited to see the new school?” asked Dean. They were parking outside a colorful building with lots of trees surrounding it.

 

“Yeah, I wanna go to school and learns a lot!” she said.

 

They walked into the school. It wasn’t huge, but it sure was filled with colors and drawings obviously made by little kids. The place had Halloween decorations and they could hear the distant laughs and voices from the kids.

 

“Wow,” said Tegan.

 

“You like it?” asked Dean,

 

“It’s awesome,” she said. They waited outside the principal’s office for a few minutes.

 

“I’m a little nervous,” admitted Cas.

 

“Everything’s gonna be fine babe,” said Dean taking his hand.

 

“Winchester family… Principal Wilson is ready for you,” said the principal’s secretary.

 

“Thanks,” said Cas.

 

They walked into the office to find a young woman sitting behind the desk. She stood up and shook hands with Dean, Cas and Tegan.

 

“Good morning, I’m Ava Wilson, nice to meet you,” she was short and had big green eyes. She had long brown hair and her smile was really sweet.

 

“Hi, I’m Dean Winchester, this is my husband Castiel and this little lady here is Tegan,” said Dean.

 

“Please take a sit,” she said pointing at the 3 chairs in front of her desk.

 

“First of all, I gotta ask… Winchester; are you related to Sam Winchester?” she asked,

 

“Yeah, he’s my brother,” said Dean,

 

“I think I remember you… I was with Sam in school… I took some classes with him and we were in drama club together. You’re older for like 3 years, right?” she asked,

 

“4 actually… I think I remember you… you used to wear glasses, right?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah… wow you’ve changed a lot. I mean the last time I saw you I was like 13, before I had to move to Arkansas,” she said.

 

“You went to school with uncle Sammy?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, I heard he’s gotten tall,” said Ava.

 

“I think he’s the tallest man in the world,” said Tegan. Ava chuckled,

 

“That’s so not fair… when we were in school we were the same height,”

 

“Wow,” said Tegan.

 

“So, anyway… Tegan, I heard you want to study in our school,” said Ava.

 

“Yes, it look awesome,” said Tegan.

 

“And you seem like a really awesome little girl, I love your outfit,” said Ava. Tegan was wearing black jeans, purple Doctor Martens, a yellow blouse, a pink sweater with white hearts and a pink tutu.

 

“Thanks,” said Tegan with a huge smile,

 

“She’s been picking her own outfits lately… we believe it encourages her originality and creativity,” said Cas.

 

“You’re right,” said Ava.

 

“Here at Woodhill preschool we believe in letting our kids embrace their creativity and uniqueness,” she said, “Do you like music Tegan?” asked Ava,

 

“Yeah,” said Tegan,

 

“What about arts? Do you like drawing and painting?”

 

“Yes, I love it,” said Tegan.

 

“Well, we have a pretty cool art class 3 times a week and once a week there’s also a music class,”

 

“Awesome! We didn’t have a music class in my old school!” said Tegan.

 

“Well I think you’re gonna love our school,” said Ava.

 

“I loved the Halloween stuff,” said Tegan.

 

“Today is a really special day actually, all the kids were allowed to wear their costumes for class today and we’re having a Halloween party right now,” explained Ava,

 

“This school is so awesome,” said Tegan to Dean and Cas,

 

“Seems like your daughter is a big Halloween fan,” said Ava,

 

“Yeah, obsessed,” said Dean. Tegan smiled at him.

 

“Okay sweetie, why don’t I tell Clara my secretary to take you to the party, it’s in the gym… and while you’re having fun there and you get some Halloween candy I’ll talk to your dads here,” said Ava. Dean and Cas looked at Tegan waiting for her reaction.

 

“Can I go?” she asked,

 

“Of course kiddo,” said Dean,

 

“Just don’t eat a lot of candy okay? Just one or two… save the rest for after lunch,” said Cas.

 

“Deal,” she said. Ava grabbed her phone and called her secretary,

 

“Okay then, Clara is gonna take you to the gym while I talk to your dads okay?”

 

“Yep,” said Tegan. She took Clara’s hand and they left the office.

 

Dean just then realized he had been holding his breath.

 

“Everything okay?” asked Ava,

 

“Yeah,” said Dean.

 

“Okay so, Tegan seems like an amazing kid… I’m just a little worried of why is she changing schools in the middle of the school year. I mean you must have your reasons to change your daughter’s school but are you sure it wouldn’t be wiser to wait until winter break to do the change?” asked Ava,

 

“Look, Ava… I’m gonna assume you’re usually too busy to learn about other people’s lives in this town,” said Dean,

 

“Well, I just got married last year so my life is basically my husband and this school, why? Is there something I should worry about?” she asked,

 

“Tegan isn’t our daughter,” said Cas,

 

“Okay,” said Ava,

 

“She’s our niece… her parents died in an accident last week,” said Dean,

 

“Oh my God,” said Ava,

 

“So now that my brother and his wife are gone, Dean and I decided to take the kids… their parents wanted us to be their legal guardians in case anything happened and we know it is too soon but like you said, it’s the middle of the school year and we don’t want her to miss school,” said Cas.

 

“Wow… okay, so she has siblings? Poor kids,” said Ava,

 

“Two boys, but they’re too young to know what is going on, they’re just a year old… Tegan is taking stuff pretty cool actually. She understands what happened and she obviously misses her parents but she also wants to move on with her life, she’s really excited about going back to school,” explained Dean,

 

“She’s a brave kid,” said Ava,

 

“Yeah… so anyway, her family was about to move to LA so her mom had already made all the paperwork to change her to a new school in LA. They lived in Pierre before that. The kids never made it to LA but I’m guessing the new school has Tegan’s papers,” said Dean,

 

“That’s not a problem. Just write here the information of the school in LA and Tegan’s full name and I will personally take care of all the paperwork,” said Ava.

 

“Thanks so much,” said Cas.

 

“You guys are amazing,” said Ava,

 

“We love our family and we would do anything for them… my brother trusted us to take care of the kids and we’re just doing the right thing,” said Cas.

 

“I- I’m going to try to make this process as fast as possible, I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to have Tegan’s school situation in order by the end of the week,” said Ava,

 

“Thanks, I know she’ll only be in this school for a few months but I’m sure she’s going to love it,” said Dean.

 

“And we’re gonna love having her here… we actually have a psychologist in school, she’s specialized in kids of course. I would like her to talk to Tegan, just to make sure that she’s doing fine,” said Ava.

 

“Yeah, we would love that,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, why don’t I show you the school and we talk about Tegan’s classes and all she’ll need?” said Ava.

 

“Sounds like a plan,” said Dean.

 

They followed Ava out of the office.

* * *

 

“Tegs, did you like the school?” asked Dean on their way to the mall.

 

“It was awesome, I can’t wait to start,” said Tegan.

 

“Next week kiddo, they need to get some paperwork done and make some calls but you’ll start next Monday, don’t worry,” said Dean.

 

“Principal Wilson gave us a list of all the things you’re going to need,” said Cas.

 

“Like what?” asked Cas.

 

“Like a backpack and a lunchbox and some pencils, and wow… I had no idea kids needed so much things for school,” said Cas.

 

“I have all those things,” said Tegan,

 

“Guess it’ll all arrive in the moving van on a couple of days. We still wanna get you a new backpack, we want you to have something new for school, what do you say?” asked Dean,

 

“Awesome,” said Tegan.

 

“Great so lets get you a new backpack and your night light,” said Cas.

* * *

 

 

The mall was crowded; it was ridiculous.

 

“Luckily your uncle Cas got all the Halloween candy we would need like 3 weeks ago,” said Dean when they saw all the people.

 

“This is the twin’s first Halloween,” said Tegan out of nowhere,

 

“Wouldn’t it be their second? They were born in July,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, but they didn’t go trick-or-treating that year because they were little babies. Mommy stayed at home with them and daddy took me trick-or-treating with my friends,”

 

“Oh, I had no idea,” said Cas,

 

“It’s fine they won’t remember it,” said Tegan looking a little disappointed.

 

“Tegs, do you want to go trick-or-treating tonight?” asked Dean.

 

“No, I understand,” she said.

 

“Kiddo, it’s okay if you wanna have fun, really,” said Dean.

 

“But uncle Gabe is not going and it’s his favorite day of the year. I can go next year, I already have candy they gave me today at my new school,” said Tegan.

 

“I’ll tell you what, we can go trick-or-treating just in our street. We take a couple of pictures of you kids and then we go to Bobby’s and you help us give candy to all the trick-or-treaters,” said Dean.

 

“Are you sure?” asked Tegan.

 

“Tegan, Dean is right… we need to go on with our lives. We’re sad, yes, but we want you to have a normal happy life and we don’t want the twins to miss their first official Halloween. We don’t want you to miss your first Halloween in Sioux Falls,” said Cas.

 

“But I don’t have a costume… mommy said she would buy me one in LA,” said Tegan.

 

“Well, we’re at the mall… and sure, it is a little crowded but I think we can find you a nice costume,” said Dean.

 

“For the twins too?” asked Tegan,

 

“Sure,” said Dean.

 

“Let’s try to find something warm okay?” said Cas. Dean took his hand and whispered so only Cas could hear him,

 

“If you think the crowd or the noise are too much just let me know and you can wait in the car, okay?”

 

“Thanks love,” said Cas smiling at his husband.

* * *

 

By 1:53 they were leaving the mall with a new purple backpack for Tegan and costumes for the 3 kids.

 

“I can’t believe we were able to find nice costumes for the kids exactly on Halloween,” said Dean,

 

“I know; we were lucky I guess. The twins are going to look really adorable,” said Cas.

 

“And what about Teg’s costume? I wish I had a cool costume like that when I was a kid,” said Dean,

 

“The lady in the store said I’m the cutest Chewbacca she has ever seen,” said Tegan.

 

“Well, you are,” said Dean.

 

Five minutes later Tegan was sound asleep on the back seat of the car.

* * *

 

“Hi guys,” said Dean walking into Bobby’s kitchen.

 

“Hey, food’s ready,” said Jody.

 

“Man, you have no idea how much I love you Jody Mills,” said Dean.

  
“You just love my food kid,” said Jody laughing.

 

“How was your day?” asked Bobby while handing a beer to Dean.

 

“We’re tired but it was really productive,” said Cas.

 

Tegan told them about the school and her Halloween costume. They had to eat fast because they still needed to go back to their place to wait for the baby proofing company guys.

 

“You should leave the kids here while they’re baby proofing the house,” said Bobby.

 

“You sure?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, they’re probably gonna use drills or loud tools and the last thing you want is for the kids to get stressed by that,” said Bobby.

 

“We’ll probably just take them for ice cream and then watch a movie with them,” said Jody.

 

“They haven’t been watching TV all day, have they?” asked Dean.

 

“No, we took them to the dog park for a while and then we bought them one of those huge Lego sets, you know? The ones with the big blocks,” said Bobby.

 

“You’re spoiling them,” said Dean.

  
“That’s a grandparent’s job kid… you should see the amount of stuff I’ve already bought for Sam’s baby,” said Bobby.

 

“You’re impossible,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, we better go, then… we’ll come back in a couple of hours,” said Cas.

 

“Enjoy turning your house into a ball of bubble wrap,” said Bobby when Dean and Cas were leaving the house.

* * *

 

Cas decided to wash the kid’s costumes while they waited.

 

“Dude, you’re obsessed with washing everything they touch,” said Dean.

 

“Do you know how many people tried this on their babies before we bought them?” asked Cas,

 

“I didn’t think about it,” said Dean,

 

“I don’t want them to get sick,” said Cas,

 

“You have a point,” said Dean, “hey, I was thinking… we kinda left something very important paused last night,”

 

“Yes, I remember… we fell asleep and then I woke up freezing in the middle of the night because you were hogging all the blankets,” said Cas.

 

“Sorry about that, but I can definitely make it up to you,” said Dean.

 

“Really, how?” asked Cas getting closer to his husband.

 

“Well I-" The sound of the doorbell interrupted them.

 

“Rain check?” asked Cas,

 

“Sure, c’mon let’s make sure this house is safe enough for our babies,” said Dean. Cas placed a soft kiss on Dean’s lips and then they left the laundry room.

* * *

 

A couple of hours later the house had gone through the first phase of baby proofing. They had checked the house and made an evaluation, they had written down all the things they would need to do and they had installed baby proof locks in every door and drawer of the house.

 

“They’re coming back tomorrow to install the baby gates, the pool fence and a shitload of things more that we’re gonna need,” explained Dean to Bobby.

 

“Jesus,” said Bobby,

 

“Anyway… seems like the house is gonna be a huge mess this week, with the whole baby proofing and the moving van arriving on Wednesday,” said Dean.

 

“Sounds like fun,” said Bobby.

 

“Yeah…”

 

“How’s Cas taking it?” asked Bobby.

 

“He’s stressed but he knows this is all necessary,” answered Dean.

 

“We’re ready!” said Tegan walking out of Bobby’s house following Cas and Jody.

 

“It’s getting really cold out here, are you sure you guys wanna go trick-or-treating?” asked Jody,

 

“Don’t worry, we got them pretty awesome costumes that are also warm,” said Cas.

 

“I’m gonna be Chewbacca!” said Tegan.

 

“That’s pretty cool… what about the twins?” asked Jody.

 

“Alan is a blue Dalek and Len is a red Dalek,” said Dean.

 

“Oh my God! Please drop by before you start I want pictures!” said Jody.

 

“What about you two idjits?” asked Bobby.

 

“We got our costumes last month, we’re going as Captain America and the Winter Soldier,” said Dean,

 

“Very romantic of you,” said Jody chuckling,

 

“I know, right?” answered Dean.

 

“C’mon, we should go,” said Cas. Jody handed Leonard to Dean and they said goodbye and promised to return later wearing their costumes.

* * *

 

It was starting to get dark outside when they decided to leave the house. It was a little early but the twins needed to go to bed early. They placed a huge bowl with candy outside the house’s gate and placed a sign that said ‘please take one’.

 

The twins were walking but Cas decided to take the stroller anyway. The first stop of course was Bobby’s house.

 

“Trick or treat!” said Tegan when they opened the door,

 

“Oh my God! You’re the most beautiful Chewbacca I’ve ever seen!” said Jody. Bobby placed a couple of chocolates inside Tegan’s bag and then a couple of lollipops on the bag for the twins (they were sharing one bag).

 

“Stand there for a minute, I need pictures,” said Jody. After 5 minutes they decided it was enough and left to resume with their tour around the block. They didn’t have a lot of neighbors but they knew all of them loved Halloween and were pretty good at giving candy.

 

An hour and a half later they had a decent amount of candy and a couple of sleeping Daleks so they decided to go back to Bobby’s.

 

“We’re back!” said Dean,

 

“Ready to help me with the trick-or-treaters honey?” asked Bobby.

 

“Yes!” she said.

 

They stayed there for another half an hour. They were all really tired so they decided to call it a night.

* * *

 

Cas helped Tegan to dry her hair after her bath,

 

“Your new night light looks amazing,” said Cas,

 

“I love it, thanks a lot,” she said. They had bought her one of those night-lights that projects stars on the walls.

 

“You’re welcome,” said Cas.

 

“And thanks for this day, I love it,” she said.

 

“I loved it too… I liked your new school and I really enjoyed helping you to find a costume for Halloween. Maybe next year we can all go as a team,” said Cas,

 

“Like the Avengers?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, like the Avengers,” said Cas.

 

Cas carefully combed Teg’s hair and then braided it.

 

“Okay miss Tegan, you’re ready,” he said,

 

“What are we doing tomorrow?” she asked yawning,

 

“We’re going to start painting the rooms I think. Probably Alan’s room first because it is empty. We also need to clean the storage room,” said Cas,

 

“What’s a store-ash room?” asked Tegan,

 

“Storage room… is were we put all the stuff we said we would use later and then we didn’t use them ever again,” said Cas,

 

“Like the garage in Pierre? Daddy had to put the car outside all the time because we had a lot of boxes in the garage,” she said,

 

“Yeah, like that. You’ve seen that little room we have outside when we put all the tables and chairs?” asked Cas,

 

“Yes,” said Tegan, “that’s the room?”

 

“Nope, the glass door next to it, that’s the door to the storage room; it was supposed to be a gym but we only used it as a gym for like half a year,” said Cas.

 

“Wow… this house is super big,” said Tegan,

 

“You think?” asked Cas,

 

“Yes… you were only 2 boys living in a huge house. Why do you have all these rooms?” she asked,

 

“Well, we both like big spaces and we had 4 extra rooms for our guests. Now we’re only going to have one guest room tough,” said Cas,

 

“I really like this house, thanks a lot for giving me this huge room,” said Tegan.

 

“You’re welcome Tegan, this is your house now so I’m really glad that you like it,” said Cas. Tegan hugged Cas and then he helped her get under the covers.

 

“Are you cold?” asked Cas.

 

“Nope,” she said shaking her head.

 

“Okay. Do you want me to tell you a story?” asked Cas.

 

“Yeah, can you tell me a story about a unicorn and a dragon?” she asked,

 

“Interesting… do you want them to be friends?” asked Cas.

 

“Yes, they’re the bestest friends,” she said.

 

“Okay, well… once upon a time, a lonely unicorn lived in the forest. He didn’t have friends and the other unicorns used to make fun of him because his horn was purple…”

 

By the time the dragon had saved the unicorn from the evil wolf, Tegan was already asleep.

* * *

 

 

“Are you sleeping?” asked Cas when he walked into his room. Dean was already in bed.

 

“Sorry, I was waiting for you,” said Dean yawning.

 

“This Halloween was… a different one,” said Cas.

 

“We had so many plans… with Sammy and Jill,” said Dean.

 

“I know, everything can really change in a second,” said Cas. He put on a comfy pair of pajama pants and an old sweater. He retired to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.

 

“I was hopping you would keep the smoky eyes a little longer mister Winter Soldier,” said Dean.

 

“As much as find that idea very interesting… I believe we’re both really tired,” said Cas climbing into bed.

 

“Yeah, I know… I’m beat man… I hope having kids is like exercising, you know? Like at first your body hurts and you’re tired all the time but after a while you get used to it and it stops being that hard,” said Dean.

 

“I hope so too,” said Cas.

 

They kept talking for another 30 minutes. Remembering old Halloween parties; their first Halloween as a couple (dressed as the 10th and 11th doctor); they talked about Jill and Mike, they talked about the kids… and eventually they fell asleep.

* * *

 

November 2nd

Cas opened his eyes in the middle of the night to find Dean sitting up on their bed.

 

“Dean, are you okay?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah… I can’t sleep, did I wake you up?” answered Dean.

 

“I don’t know, I just felt cold I think,” said Cas.

 

“Sorry… come here, let’s cuddle,” said Dean sounding like a robot.

 

“Dean, what’s wrong?” asked Cas worried.

 

“I had this weird dream… one of those that feel too real, you know? I was dreaming about mom- and then I woke up and I grabbed my phone to check the hour and I realized that it’s already November 2nd… I guess that’s why I had the dream, my subconscious and shit. But still, it felt too damn real man,” confessed Dean. Cas pulled his husband towards him and held him,

 

“I’m sorry Dean… you know I suck at this kind of situations but I can hold you all night long if you want,” said Cas.

 

“That sounds great babe,” said Dean smiling. Cas started stroking his hair.

 

“You know? I’m not sad… I mean, yeah it sucks that I didn’t get to have my mom with me growing up but I’m kinda used to it by now. I was just thinking about the kids… about how much she would’ve loved to meet them; I don’t remember much about her but I know she loved kids. Dad once told me that mom wanted to have like 5 kids,”

 

Cas placed a soft kiss on the back of Dean’s neck.

 

“Wow, 5 Winchesters,” whispered Cas.

 

“I would still be the most handsome of course,” said Dean.

 

“Of course,” said Cas chuckling.

 

They remained silent for a while.

 

“Tell me about your dream,” whispered Cas.

 

“Mom was here, in the house and she was teaching you how to braid Tegan’s hair and she was so happy. Then we cooked dinner together and it was just like a regular day, like having your dad or Bobby here,” Dean felt really happy thinking about his mom.

 

“I wish I had met her… do you think she would’ve accepted our relationship?” asked Cas.

 

“Yeah… I don’t think dad would have but I’m pretty sure mom would,” said Dean.

 

“Do you want to go to Lawrence today? I can manage with the kids,” said Cas.

 

“No, it’s cool… I don’t need to go to the cemetery to talk to my mom. She’s always with me; besides, today the moving van will be finally here and we have a lot of things to do,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, you’re probably right,” said Cas.

 

“C’mon, let’s try to sleep… those 3 are gonna be up pretty soon,” said Dean.

 

Cas kept playing with Dean’s hair until they fell asleep.

* * *

 

 

“Teg, can you push that box over here?” asked Dean.

 

“This?” she pointed at a box next to her.

 

“Yeah, just push it don’t lift it,” said Dean. Tegan noded and pushed the box, it wasn’t heavy.

 

“What’s in here?” asked Tegan.

 

They were in the foyer currently sorting the things inside the boxes.

 

“Well, it says twins’ toys”. Said Dean. He opened the boy and they both looked inside. “Do me a favor sweetheart, take out of the box all the stuffed toys and place them in that box,” said Dean pointing at a box next to him.

 

“What are you gonna do with all the plushies?” asked Tegan worried.

 

“Oh, don’t worry; Cas is gonna wash them all and then you guy can play with them again,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan.

 

While Tegan took care of the toys, Dean kept sorting the stuff inside the box marked as ‘Baby clothes;’ they decided they would donate all the summer clothes the boys had. They were growing up really fast and it was already fall… by the next summer those clothes would definitely be too small for the kids.

 

Cas was currently taking care of the box marked as “kitchen stuff” while he waited for another load of Teg’s clothes to come out of the washing machine.

 

Charlie and Dorothy had already filled 4 boxes with all of Mike and Jill’s clothes (though they had kept a few things from Jill, she was basically the same size as Charlie and she had cool sweaters).

 

Jody and Gabe were upstairs painting Tegan’s room while Chuck and Bobby were next to the kitchen table trying to assemble the playpen for the twins.

 

“Bobby didn’t you mention you needed a new microwave for the garage lunchroom?” asked Cas.

 

“Yeah, the one we have is older than Sam,” said Bobby.

 

“Well, you have one now, congratulations,” said Cas grabbing a microwave from a huge box in the floor.

 

“Thanks son,” said Bobby.

* * *

 

By 1 pm they had sorted half of the stuff and Bobby had taken some of the boxes to a donation center.

 

“What’s gonna happen to all those things?” asked Tegan while they saw Bobby and Gabe driving away in Bobby’s truck,

 

“We’re donating them to families that really need them,” said Dean. They closed the gate behind them and walked back towards the house. Charlie and Dorothy walked out of the door a couple of seconds later,

 

“We’re heading to Giovanni's to get lunch, wanna come Tegs?” asked Charlie,

 

“Can I?” asked Tegan to Dean.

 

“Sure thing kiddo, just go put on a hat and globes, okay?” answered Dean.

 

Tegan nodded and ran to the house,

 

“Don’t run!” said Dean.

 

“You think we’re gonna finish today?” asked Dorothy,

 

“I don’t think so… we still need to check all the boxes marked as ‘important papers’ and we still need to assemble the cribs, the high chairs and all those other things in the box ‘baby stuff,’” said Dean.

 

“Not to mention we still need to paint Len’s room and start decorating the 3 rooms,” said Charlie.

 

“Jesus,” said Dorothy.

 

“I’m ready,” said Tegan walking back from the house.

 

“Okay, be good and always hold hands with your aunts, okay?” said Dean,

 

“Yep,” said Tegan.

* * *

 

“Where’s Chuck?” asked Dean when he walked into the kitchen and only saw Cas and Jody in there.

 

“He fell asleep,” said Cas pointing in the direction of the living room. Dean left the kitchen and walked towards that part of the house; he found Chuck sound asleep on a couch while the boys napped on a blanket in the middle of the room,

 

“Guess it was nap time,” said Dean returning to the kitchen.

 

“Yes,” said Cas smiling. He was cutting some apples while Jody washed the dishes.

 

“Are you cooking? I thought the girls would be getting lunch for everyone,” said Dean.

 

“Yes but I’m cooking a special dessert for you,” said Cas.

 

Dean looked at the papers on the kitchen island and then smiled,

 

“Apple pie, my mom’s recipe,” said Dean.

 

“I just figured remembering her doesn’t have to be something sad, you know?” said Cas.

 

“Thanks babe,” said Dean. He walked around the kitchen table and kissed Cas.

 

“You have public, please don’t forget,” said Jody chuckling when she noticed the kiss had stopped being something innocent,

 

“Forgot for a second, sorry,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Hey, no… I’m cool with the romance, I was just saying. I mean, if you wanna go upstairs to- talk, I wouldn’t mind staying here finishing the dishes,” said Jody.

 

“A tempting offer,” said Cas, “but I don’t think we would be able to do a lot of… talking, knowing that 2 of our paternal figures are downstairs,”

 

“He’s got a point,” said Dean.

 

“Well, in that case… why don’t you finish the dishes while I go take out the clothes from the dryer?” said Jody dying her hand on a kitchen towel.

 

“We’re not gonna do it here either Jody!” said Dean,

 

“I was being serious, I really need to take the clothes out of the dryer… Jesus,” said Jody rolling her eyes. She turned around and left the kitchen laughing.

 

Dean smiled at his husband and decided to help with the rest of the dishes. He was rolling the sleeves of his flannel when they heard the sound of little feet running towards them.

 

Alan walked into the kitchen looking still sleepy; his hair was a mess.

 

“Look who woke up from his nap,” said Dean. He lifted Alan from the floor and sat him on the kitchen island next to where Cas was cooking.

 

“Hello Alan,” said Cas smiling at the little boy. Dean tried to fix his messy hair and Alan busied himself looking at his surroundings. He started pointing at the sliced apples in a bowl close to him.

 

“You hungry kiddo?” asked Dean. Cas grabbed a slice of apple and handed it to Alan.

 

“I made lunch for you and your brother, something light because I know you’re going to want some pizza as soon as you see it,” said Cas. The little boy started eating his slice of apple.

 

“C’mon let’s sit down and have lunch,” said Dean. He placed Alan in his high chair and then sat on a stool in front of him.

 

“There you go,” said Cas placing Alan’s plate in front of him.

 

“Oh, look at this… Cas made a kitty face with your lunch, it looks really cool,” said Dean. Cas had used cheese, carrots, broccoli and pasta to create his art piece. Alan smiled and started clapping.

 

“I love when he does that,” said Dean smiling.

 

“I love when he’s happy,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, I know,” said Dean. Luckily Alan was hungry and Cas had picked only food he liked so feeding him was uneventful.

 

“I can’t wait for their rooms to be ready,” said Dean eventually.

 

“Yes, we need to start our routine and to have a little normalcy in our lives,” said Cas.

 

“I’m really proud of you babe, you’re doing great… I know you don’t like it when things change a lot and so suddenly but you’ve been managing amazingly Cas, really,” said Dean. He cleaned Alan’s face and then took his empty plate to the sink.

 

“Thanks Dean, I feel really tired but I understand and I try to fight that part of me that just wants to go back to bed and ignore everything else,” said Cas. Dean turned around and hugged him from behind.

 

“Tish had a pretty good idea, we need to implement this ‘Cas time’ so you can at least have that in your routine, you need that, I understand,” said Dean.

 

“I was thinking maybe after you come home from work and we have dinner… I could retire to my studio for maybe half an hour every day, isn’t it too selfish?” asked Cas.

 

“Babe, if you’re gonna be a stay at home dad, the least I could do is take care of the kids’ bath while you rest for half an hour every day, no big deal,” said Dean.

 

“I love you so much,” whispered Cas.

 

“I love you too,” said Dean placing a soft kiss on Cas’ shoulder, “and I love you too buddy,” said Dean looking at Alan who was staring at them.

 

“Hi guys,” said Chuck walking into the kitchen in that moment with Leonard in his arms,

 

“Were you spying on us Chuck?” asked Dean. He let go of Cas and walked towards Chuck to help him with Len.

 

“I didn’t want to interrupt your moment so I waited outside for a couple of minutes,” admitted Chuck.

 

“Thanks, I guess,” said Cas blushing a little.

 

“Len, are you hungry, do you want your lunch?” asked Dean. Leonard smiled and Dean sat him on his high chair next to his brother’s.

 

“I’ll do it,” said Chuck when he saw Cas approaching them with Len’s lunch.

 

“Thanks dad,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, look, a puppy; really creative son,” said Chuck. Cas smiled and nodded.

 

“Okay, this was the last load of baby clothes… Jesus these kids own so many clothes, it is ridiculous,” said Jody returning from the laundry room. Dean rushed to her side and helped her with one of the baskets with clean clothes.

 

“I know, and we got rid of like half of it,” said Dean.

 

“Should we take this upstairs?” asked Jody,

 

“Yeah, lets put it in Len’s room, that’s the only one in order right now,” said Dean.

 

“So, what are you cooking? I thought the girls were buying pizza,” said Chuck when he saw Cas mixing ingredients.

 

“I’m baking a pie, today is the anniversary of Mrs. Winchester passing,” said Cas.

 

“Oh,” said Chuck,

 

“I’m using her recipe… she used to bake apple pie for Dean all the time,” said Cas.

 

“And how is he doing?” asked Chuck.

 

“It’s been so long dad- he misses her of course but he’s okay… I believe he’s a good example of the phrase ‘life goes on,’ he learned a long time ago to move on with his life,” explained Cas.

 

“I long for the day I’m at that point… with Mike and Jill,” said Chuck.

 

“Well, Dean is the living proof that it can happen, he’s lost both of his parents and he has a happy life,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Chuck with a sad smile. He kept feeding Leonard in silence.

 

“Dad, I think we should talk about the tour,” said Cas suddenly. He felt it was the perfect time since they were alone.

 

“Did you finally make up your mind?” asked Chuck, “I’ll call Vicky to let her know that-“

 

“I’m not coming dad,” said Cas.

 

“Oh… I thought, I mean- Cas, what about your plans? Your dreams?” said Chuck.

 

“Well, I’m going to have to put a pause on my dream because I have more important stuff to do right now,” said Cas.

 

“Castiel… I don’t want you to try to live your brother’s life,” said Chuck,

 

“What?” Asked Cas, “dad, I’m not- I – I’m not trying to live his life dad, that’s ridiculous, but the kids just got here, we’re trying to ease them into a routine and into their new lives, I don’t think leaving right now would be the best choice, I need to be here for them,” said Cas trying really hard not to raise his voice.

 

“Cas, I understand. I want what’s best for the kids too, you know I love them with all my heart… but you’re my son and I also love you and I want you to live your dreams,” Chuck said the last part almost in a whisper.

 

“ What is it with you and dreams?” asked Cas,

 

“Cas, your brother wanted a happy life with his family in a big house in LA, he wanted so much and he didn’t get that… all a parent wants is to see their kids fulfilling their dreams- I’m never going to see Mike doing that… I just want to live long enough to se you and your brother accomplish yours,” said Chuck.

 

“Dad…”

 

“Cas, please come with me to the tour, you need this,” insisted Chuck,

 

“No I don’t,” said Cas.

 

“Castiel, I just need you to understand that-“

 

“No, dad… this is ridiculous; I know you want me to be happy but you can’t force me to go on like nothing has changed so I can live happily ever after by next week,” Cas was trying to understand his father.

 

“But Cas… we’ve been planning this for so long; this was your dream,”

 

“Stop it… please, stop it already with the whole dreams thing. Don’t try to put this on me dad; I know you’re trying to cope and I know you want us to be together as a family during this hard time but… to be honest I just think that you want to use the tour as an excuse to forget everything that’s happened and you need me by your side to make it easier for you,” said Cas.

 

“You’re probably right… I just want the pain to stop Cas. I just think, if everything goes back to normal,” Chuck shed a couple of tears.

 

“Our concept of normal changed dad, I hate it and my whole body wants to collapse every time I think of that but it is what it is dad, our lives are never going to be the same again,” said Cas.

 

“Sometimes I wish you had the ability to lie to me… just, why can’t you tell me a stupid lie to make me feel fine? I just wish you weren’t so blunt all the time… Jesus Christ Castiel, try to act like a person sometimes,” said Chuck.

 

“Wow,” said Cas raising his eyebrows,

 

“No, I, that came out wrong Cas, sorry,” said Chuck standing up.

 

“Dad, you really don’t need to put up with me, you know? I know it can be a hard task and you really don’t have to if you don’t want to. I don’t know if you feel like you owe me something because of how I was born but really… you don’t,” said Cas.

 

“Castiel, I didn’t mean that, I’m sorry… you were just being a little insensitive son,” said Chuck.

 

“So you decided to act the same way,” said Cas.

 

“Castiel,” Chuck walked towards his son.

 

“I’m not a machine without feelings dad… just because I don’t go around jumping and displaying my affection to the freaking world it doesn’t mean that I don’t feel things… just because I don’t cry all day because of what happened to Mike and Jill it doesn’t mean that I’m an insensitive asshole, okay? If you think that going on a tour, traveling and giving interviews is going to help you to get your shit together then do it but I’m not going… I’m not ready,” said Cas.

 

“Castiel, I’m so sorry,” said Chuck reaching for his son.

 

“Dad, please… don’t touch me,” said Cas.

 

“I don’t want us to fight,” said Chuck.

 

“I don’t think you know what you want dad,” said Cas.

 

“I just… Cas, please,” Cas was about to leave the kitchen when Chuck talked again,

 

“I just lost one son, please I don’t want to lose another,” said Chuck. Cas turned around and hugged his father.

 

“This is what it’s all about, isn’t it? You’re scared of losing us too,” said Cas.

 

“I can’t sleep at night… sometimes I have to get up and go to Gabriel’s room to check if he’s still breathing,” said Chuck sobbing.

 

“Dad,” Cas kept rubbing soothing circles on Chuck’s back.

 

“I just want you to be happy and I want to protect you and your brother,” said Chuck.

 

Dean and Jody returned to the kitchen,

 

“What happened?” asked Dean,

 

“Can you take care of the boys? I’m going to go out for a walk with dad,” said Cas.

 

“Sure babe, call me if you need anything,” said Dean.

 

“Just, put the pie in the oven please, everything’s ready just put it in there and make sure it doesn’t burn,” said Cas.

 

“We got it kiddo,” said Jody.

 

Cas and Chuck left and Dean just stood there watching at the twins.

 

“You two really need to start talking, I really want to know what’s going on,”

 

“C’mon let’s put this pie in the oven and clean the kitchen,” said Jody.

* * *

 

 

Bobby and Gabe returned five minutes later. They would still need to make another trip to the donations center but they wanted to stop for lunch first.

 

“Where’s Cas?” asked Gabe when he walked into the kitchen.

 

“Out with Chuck… they went for a walk,” said Dean.

 

“That’s new,” said Gabe.

 

“I don’t know what happened, I walked into the kitchen and it seemed like they were having an emotional conversation,” said Dean.

 

“Well, we’re experts on bottling up our emotions in this family, must have been an emotional one after these last couple of weeks,” said Gabe after grabbing a beer from the fridge.

 

“You seem to be doing fine, son,” said Bobby.

 

“My girlfriend is a therapist,” said Gabe,

 

“So what? She gives you free therapy?” asked Dean.

 

“Let’s just say she know how to make me talk,” said Gabe wiggling his eyebrows.

 

“TMI dude,” said Dean.

 

“Sorry,” said Gabe chuckling and leaving the kitchen.

* * *

 

 

By the time the girls arrived with the food Cas and Chuck had returned to the house too.

 

The whole family sat around the kitchen table.

 

“This pizza is so good,” said Tegan after finishing her slice of pizza, “can I have another slice?” she asked,

 

“Finish your salad first and then you can have another slice,” said Cas. Tegan sighed but ended up eating her salad. Cas put some more salad on his plate and then on Dean’s,

 

“Hey!” said Dean,

 

“We need to put a good example,” said Cas. Dean just rolled his eyes.

 

“I was starving,” said Bobby.

 

“We’ve been working hard today, we deserved this,” said Dorothy.

 

“And it’s also a nice way to relax before going back to work,” said Jody.

 

“You’re going back tomorrow?” asked Charlie,

 

“Yeah, I need to,” said Jody, “otherwise I would be taking days from my winter vacations and I’m not planning on doing that… you know, the honeymoon and stuff,” said Jody.

 

“Oh, right,” said Charlie smiling.

 

“I’m going back to the garage tomorrow too, Garth’s been doing a great job but I still need to go and make sure everything’s fine,” said Bobby.

 

“I’m gonna drop by tomorrow, my car needs new tires, and I’m not going back to work until Charlie does so I could use this free time to take the car with you guys,” said Dorothy.

 

“Sure thing, when are you going back to work Charlie?” asked Bobby after grabbing another slice of pizza from the box,

 

“I won’t go back until Monday,” said Charlie, “Benny and the guys won’t let me,”

 

“Well, my boss won’t let me go back until Monday either, so don’t worry,” said Dean.

 

“I’m gonna wait until dad starts his tour to go back to the bakery,” said Gabe.

 

“What about you uncle Cas?” asked Tegan,

 

“What do you mean?” asked Cas,

 

“When are you going back to your work?” she asked,

 

“Oh, I’m not going back sweetheart, I quit Kraken a few weeks ago,” said Cas casually.

 

“I know that; but your other work… you sell books with grandpa Chuck around the world,” said Tegan.

 

“Oh, that job… your grandpa Chuck and I talked earlier, I’m not going this time. At least not until next year,” said Cas.

 

“Why?” asked Tegan,

 

“Because I want to stay here with you and your brothers, and Nik and Dean,” said Cas,

 

“Okay,” she said smiling at Cas.

 

“So, Chuck… you really doing thins on your own?” asked Bobby. Dean held Cas’ hand under the table.

 

“Yeah, at least at first, a few dates have been moved and rearranged for the tour. Our last dates won’t be until next year… Manhattan, Pittsburg and Chicago I think,” said Chuck,

 

“Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida and then New York,” corrected Cas.

 

Yes,

 

“So you’re gonna join him for the last part of the tour?” asked Dean.

 

“I said I was going to think about it, depending on how things go here at home and how I feel,” said Cas.

 

“This is going to be an interesting tour,” said Chuck.

 

“Hey, I’ll try to visit you at least once a month, okay?” said Gabe,

 

“And you need to promise to be here for thanksgiving,” said Jody,

 

“Yes, of course… everything’s arranged so I get to have a little break for thanksgiving and then I go back on tour and I come back again on time for your wedding guys,” said Chuck.

 

“Sounds like fun,” said Bobby.

 

“I’m just looking forward to the distraction and just, being busy I think,” said Chuck.

 

“I’m gonna miss you,” said Tegan,

 

“Me too Tegan but I promise I’ll call all the time,” said Chuck.

 

“Thanks grandpa Chuck,” said Tegan smiling.

* * *

 

 

After the pizza and Cas’ pie they all went back to their activities. Bobby loaded the truck and drove again to the donation center, thought this time Chuck went with him.

 

The paint on Tegan’s room had already dried so Gabe, Charlie and Dorothy moved in all the furniture while Dean and Cas took care of Alan’s room. Jody stayed downstairs watching a movie with the kids and Nik.

 

“Hand me the hammer,” said Dean holding a nail against the wall. Cas grabbed the hammer from the toolbox and handed it to his husband.

 

“So, how did the talk with your father go?” asked Dean,

 

“It was… interesting,” said Cas. He was putting together a new bookshelf for the room.

 

“Do you want to talk about it?” asked Dean.

 

“We yelled at each other,” said Cas.

 

“Are you alright? Maybe you should go to our room and rest,” said Dean looking worried.

 

“I’m alright Dean, thanks… I just can’t wait to go to bed, I feel mentally tired,” said Cas.

 

“I bet, but what happened? I mean, I think I’ve only seen you guys yell at each other like 3 times,” said Dean.

 

Cas told what happened in the kitchen to Dean while they kept working. Dean listened and didn’t interrupt the story.

 

“And then we just walked around the block, he cried and let out everything he’s been holding and I told him how I feel and we agreed he’s going on his own to the tour,” said Cas.

 

“I can’t believe he said you don’t act like a person… like, does he think that you don’t have feelings? That you don’t show them? What is this then? 2 guys who fuck a lot, share some common interests and live together?” asked Dean.

 

“He apologized a lot; in his defense he’s never told me anything like that in my whole life… I know it only happened because he’s upset about Michael,” said Cas.

 

“It still sucks man, he knows it’s not your fault,” said Dean.

 

“He’s going through a lot Dean, I don’t think this is the time to talk to him about how he really sees me,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Dean. They kept working in silence for a few minutes.

 

“Cas,” said Dean eventually,

 

“Yes?” Asked Castiel,

 

“I know you love me, okay? I do, you’re an amazing husband and my best friend and you show me every fucking day how much I mean to you and I feel loved every day thanks to you… you’re my world,” said Dean.

 

“I love you too Dean, thanks for understanding me and for loving me the way you do,” said Cas.

* * *

 

 

 

By the time everyone was ready to go the kids had already been bathed and the boys put to sleep. They decided to put them together in Len’s room just for another night since Al’s room still smelled a lot like paint. Tegan was going to spend the night there too.

 

After they said goodbye to Charlie and Dorothy, the last ones to leave, Dean, Tegan and Cas went back inside.

 

“Do we still have pie?” asked Dean,

 

“Of course we do, I saved some for dinner,” said Cas.

 

“Awesome,” said Dean.

 

Tegan and Dean set the table while Cas cut the pie.

 

“The pie is so good Cas, I swear it’s like time traveling every time I taste it,” said Dean.

 

“What?” asked Tegan confused.

 

“Dean’s mom used to bake this pie for him all the time,” explained Cas.

 

“Oh, well… it’s really good,” she said.

 

Dean’s phone went off in that moment,

 

“It’s Sam,” he said, “hi Sammy,” he stood up and left the kitchen to talk to his brother,

 

“Uncle Cas?” she asked,

 

“What is it?” asked Cas,

 

“Can we have pie for dinner everyday?” asked the little girl,

 

“No sweetheart, today’s a special day but most of the time we need to have a healthier option for dinner, okay?” said Cas.

 

“Why is it special?” she asked,

 

“I umm… do you know what an anniversary is?” asked Cas,

 

“Yep,” she said,

 

“Well, today is the anniversary of the day Dean’s mom went to heaven,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, so you cooked this pie to remember her?” asked Tegan,

 

“That’s right,” said Cas.

 

“What was her name?” asked Tegan,

 

“Mary,” said Cas, “Mary Winchester,”

 

“Did you meet her?” she asked,

 

“No, when I met Dean she was already gone… I met him when he moved next door to live with Bobby, remember?” said Cas,

 

“Oh, that’s true,” she said.

 

“It’s a bad thing his mommy went to heaven but it’s a good thing he moved with grandpa Bobby because you two met and became best friends and then you fell in love and got married,” she explained to Cas.

 

“Yeah, I like to see it that way too,” said Cas smiling at his niece.

 

“I’m sad because my mommy and my daddy went to heaven and I miss them but I’m happy because now you gots to have kids,” Cas didn’t know what to say to that; luckily Dean returned in that moment.

 

“Sam says hi, they have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow to see the baby, he’s gonna send us pictures,” said Dean.

 

“That’s great,” said Cas. They finished having dinner and then Tegan was sent upstairs to brush her teeth.

* * *

 

“You ready for bed?” asked Dean walking into Len’s room.

 

Tegan was placing her night light on the floor next to the bed.

 

“Yes, I’m ready,” she said.

 

“Want us to tell you a story?” asked Dean. Usually they would sit at each side of the bed and leave Tegan between them, but since in Len’s room the bed was in a corner, Dean sat on the bed next to Tegan and Cas grabbed a chair to sit next to the bed.

 

“Yeas please,” she said,

 

“Well, all your books are here finally so, what do you want us to read?” asked Cas,

 

“I… can you tell me about grandma Winchester?” asked Tegan,

 

“What?” asked Dean,

 

“About your mom, can you tell me about her?” asked Tegan.

 

“I- yeah, sure… what do you wanna know?” asked Dean.

 

“About the pie,” said Tegan.

 

“Well… let’s see,” said Dean looking at his husband first and then at Tegan, “mom loved to cook, you know? She could spend hours in the kitchen and she used to hum while she cooked. She’s the one who introduced me to pie. I remember one time she sat me on the counter and talked to me while she prepared the pie… I helped her with the crust and we sang and danced while we waited for the pie to come out of the oven. She was already pregnant, with Sammy and I think she wanted to spend time with me before the baby came and she had to split her time between the both of us… it was a great day; she made me a sandwich without the crust and then we watched a movie while we ate pie,” when Dean looked at Tegan she was smiling at him.

 

“She sounds nice,” said the little girl yawning.

 

“She was… I’m pretty sure she would’ve loved you and the boys,” said Dean.

 

“And uncle Cas too?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure she would’ve loved uncle Cas too,” said Dean taking Cas’ hand.

 

“Do you know how to make the pie uncle Dean?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, Bobby had the recipe and he showed us how to do it,” said Dean,

 

“Can you teach me one day? We can dance and sing while we wait and then we can watch a movie,” she said.

 

“That’s a promise,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” she yawned again.

 

“Goodnight sweetheart,” whispered Dean.

 

“Goodnight,” she said. Dean kissed her on the forehead.

 

“Goodnight Tegan,” said Cas.

 

“Goodnight uncle Cas, thanks for the pie,” she said. They made sure the boys were sleeping and then they left the room.

* * *

 

 

“You know?” asked Dean later that night while he was cuddling with Cas on bed,

 

“What?” asked Dean,

 

“I think we’ve been underestimating Tegan,” he said,

 

“Why?” asked Cas,

 

“I don’t think she sees us as her uncles who take care of her… I think it’s more complicated than that,” said Dean,

 

“Today she said that she was sad because of what happened to her parents but that at least now we get to have kids of our own… I didn’t know what to say to her,” said Cas.

 

“And there was all that stuff about my mom, did you tell her to call her grandma?” asked Dean,

 

“No, I just told her what day it was and she asked me about her name, but that was it,” said Cas.

 

“You think she… Jesus,” said Dean,

 

“What?” Cas turned around to look at his husband in the eye,

 

“The boys, how are they gonna call us? You think they’re going to call us dad? What about Tegan?” asked Dean,

 

“First of all, I hope they don’t call us both dad, that would be a little confusing… second I don’t know how to feel about that,” answered Cas,

 

“I guess we’ll have to wait and see,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah,” said Cas.

 

“I love you Cas,” whispered Dean after a while.

 

“I love you too Dean, with all my heart… I’m sorry if I’m not good at showing it,” answered Cas.

 

“Babe, you made my favorite pie today just to make me happy, you’re the best fucking husband in the entire world,” answered Dean with a chuckle.

 

“I’m gonna put that on a t-shirt,” said Cas before falling asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and for your patience! Have a nice day :)


	24. We need to get used to that.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally get a new minivan. Alan has his first meltdown in his new house and Dean's heart is broken to see the boy like that. Cas doesn't think he's a good father but luckily he has an amazing husband to remind him how awesome he is.
> 
> Angst, fluff and drama.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY SUPERNATURAL DAY!!
> 
>  
> 
> I tried to hurry up because i wanted to post today! (it's 20:00 in my city so it still counts :P ) 
> 
> Today reminded me of how much I love this show and how it has created a huge community around the world... at the end of the day that love for the show and you guys it's what keeps me writing and creating. 
> 
> Have a nice day, I hope you did something cool to celebrate -I re watched a few episodes of season 11 with my sister and our cat who happens to love SPN (I swear, we just have to say 'let's go watch the cute guys who kill monsters' and she sits in front of the tv waiting). 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 

November 5th

It was Saturday and the kids’ rooms were finally ready. They still needed to add a little more decoration in Cas’ opinion but at least the kids had each their own room.

 

Having separate rooms meant, of course, they needed to pick each a twin and get them ready for the day; it was turning out to be a pretty efficient job.

 

“Okay, which boots do you want to wear today?” asked Cas to little Alan who was sitting in front of him. Cas handed him 2 different options of boots and the boy grabbed them happily. When he started licking the one in his left hand Cas grabbed it and put it on Al’s foot.

 

“Excellent choice, military green goes perfect with your black jeans,” said Cas.

 

“Are you guys ready?” asked Dean walking into Al’s room holding Len’s hand.

 

“Almost, we just need to add warm clothes and we’re ready to go,” said Cas. He grabbed a black knitted hat, a pair of little gloves and a gray jacket from the chair next to the window.

 

“Tegan’s almost ready too, she was just getting her jacket,” said Dean. Cas finished dressing Alan and then placed him on the floor.

 

“Well, this little man is ready, let’s go,” he took Alan’s hand and they followed Dean and Len out of the room.

 

“Tegan, are you ready?” asked Dean when they reached the stairs.

 

“I’m downstairs!” she yelled.

 

Dean picked up Leonard and Cas did the same with Alan.

 

“Okay, seems like everyone’s ready,” said Dean.

* * *

 

They were trying to go back to their routine, so since it was a Saturday they were going to Bobby’s for a family breakfast.

 

The previous night it had snowed so the front yard of Bobby’s was covered in a tick layer of snow. It looked like he had gone out early to clear the porch stairs and the little concrete path that led to the house.

 

“No, Alan don’t-“ Cas tried to stop Alan but the little boy was too fast, he grabbed a handful of snow and put it in his mouth.

 

“Oh my God,” whispered Dean.

 

“Alan, are you alright?” asked Cas. Alan blinked a couple of times and then he spat the snow in his mouth.

 

“NO!” he said trying to clean his tongue with his hand.

 

“Let’s get inside, we’ll give you something warm to drink,” said Cas picking him up.

 

“At least he didn’t freak out,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, that’s a win,” said Cas.

* * *

 

“Look at that, they finished the whole thing,” said Jody looking with pride at the twins.

 

“Me too,” said Tegan showing her empty bowl to Jody.

 

“Well, I guess you kids liked my oatmeal,” said Jody picking up the dirty dishes from the table.

 

“I liked the little pieces of strawberry you put in it,” said Tegan.

 

“Oh, it has strawberries in it? Can I try it?” asked Charlie.

 

“Sure,” said Jody pouring some oatmeal for Charlie in a bowl.

 

“What are we gonna do today?” asked Tegan.

 

“Well, actually you’re gonna spend the day with Charlie and Dorothy, the boys are gonna stay here with Jody and your grandpa, Cas and I are going out,” said Dean.

 

“Where are you going?” asked Tegan.

 

“To buy a new… a new car,” said Dean sounding like saying those words had been the hardest thing in the world.

 

“Don’t let his enthusiasm fool you,” said Cas rolling his eyes.

 

“Son, you know it’s the right thing to do,” said Bobby.

 

“But we already have a car,” said Tegan.

 

“See?” asked Dean to everyone around him.

 

“Yes Dean, of course, we can keep using the impala… we just have to flip a coin every time we have to go out to chose who’s staying and who gets to ride in the car,” said Cas.

 

“The kids are small,” said Dean.

 

“Dean, we’re not having this conversation again,” said Cas.

 

“You’re right… sorry, I just- I don’t want to drive a soccer mom car, okay? It’s like getting rid of my manhood,” said Dean sounding defeated.

 

“Really? You’re scared if you start driving a minivan everyone’s gonna start thinking you’re gay or something?” asked Dorothy chuckling.

 

“It’s stupid, I know… let’s just drop it, okay?” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Cas.

 

“So… what are we gonna do today?” asked Tegan to Dorothy,

 

“We’re taking Peggy to the vet and then we’re going to the mall because I need to buy some stuff for my apartment, what do you think?” asked Dorothy,

 

“Can we take Peggy to the mall too?” asked Tegan with excitement.

 

“I’m gonna check if the mall is pet friendly, but I think it is, so it shouldn’t be a problem… maybe we can buy her some cute clothes,” said Dorothy.

 

“Awesome,” said Tegan.

* * *

 

“So, I sent Bobby the list of the best minivans for families and he’s searched around town for those cars,” explained Cas from the passenger seat of the impala. Bobby was sitting on the backseat reading from a few papers.

 

“I’m pretty sure Bobby already knew which minivan is the best option Cas,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, but I didn’t, I needed to make a research to make sure that we’re getting something comfortable and safe for our family,” said Cas.

 

“He has a point son, I really had no idea there are actually websites that talk only about minivans… Cas printed like 5 different rankings,” said Bobby.

 

“Okay, so now that my husband has a masters degree in minivans, what’s the conclusion? I was thinking maybe a Chrysler Pacifica or a Dodge Grand Caravan,” said Dean.

 

“Take the next exit to your left, we’re going to ‘Big Frank’s pre-owned car center,” said Bobby.

 

“That guy hast the lamest TV commercials ever,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, but they’re also selling a 2019 Honda Odyssey with only 6200 miles and just a previous owner,” said Bobby.

 

“That’s like the ultimate soccer mom car,” said Dean.

 

“You’re starting to sound like a broken record Son,” said Bobby.

 

“Sorry… I’m being ridiculous,” he took a deep breath, “you’re right; okay so tell me more about this car,” he said.

 

Cas had never been a big fan of cars, he knew some cars were better, he knew Dean loved classics and he knew everything about the impala but he never was one of those guys who loves to talk about cars 24/7; so of course Dean was a little shocked when Cas and Bobby spent almost 15 minutes talking about cars… it was about minivans but still, Dean found it fascinating.

 

“We’re here,” announced Dean interrupting Cas’ speech about the resurgence of minivan sales.

 

“Wow, that was fast,” said Cas.

 

They walked into the dealership looking for the car Bobby had mentioned. Cas was walking behind Dean when his phone went off,

 

“It’s Vicky, I have to take this… It will only take 5 minutes, I’ll be right back,” said Cas answering the phone and walking back towards the street.

 

“Want us to wait for you?” asked Dean,

 

“No, start without me, it’s fine,” yelled Cas.

 

“Okay, you heard him,” said Bobby.

 

“Hey, what about an SUV? They also have 2 or 3 rows of seats and they’re huge as fuck too,” said Dean walking towards a 2018 Honda CR-V.

 

“Good morning, are you looking for a car in particular sir?” asked a short guy with tick eyebrows, huge teeth and blonde hair slicked back. The guy looked around 20 years old and he was wearing a shirt that looked too tight for his body but it was obvious that he was trying to show off his muscles.

 

“Oh, hi… yeah, I’m,” Dean was interrupted by the man,

 

“Wait, I have this thing… it’s like a 6th sense… I can tell which car a costumer needs just by looking at them bro,” said the salesman.

 

“O-kay…” Dean looked at him confused and placed his hands in his pockets feeling observed,

 

“Hmm… you look like you’re looking for a sports car, you know? Something to attract the ladies,” said the guy wiggling his eyebrows,

 

“Not even close man, sorry,” said Dean laughing,

 

“Can you show us that one?” asked Bobby pointing at the minivan they were looking for,

 

“Okay, follow me,” said the guy. They walked behind him.

 

“Here it is, 2019 Honda Odyssey, only one previous owner who barely used it, 6200 miles and it’s in perfect conditions,” said the guy.

 

“Okay,” said Dean staring at the minivan.

 

“Hey, aren’t you Bobby Singer?” asked the man,

 

“Yeah, that’s me,” said Bobby shaking hands with him,

 

“I’m Earl, my dad owns this place… man, you’re kind of a legend in the car world around here,” said Earl.

 

“Well thanks, today I’m only here to help my son find a car,” said Bobby.

 

“Oh, you’re his son?” asked Earl,

 

“Yeah, I’m Dean,” said Dean.

 

“So, since you guys are like car experts and judging by that beauty you’re driving,” said Earl pointing at the impala, “I gotta tell you Dean, this big soccer mom car doesn’t seem like the right thing for you,”

 

“Really?” asked Dean,

 

“I mean, man you look like a pretty cool guy, you look like you have style and with a car like that… man, I’m pretty sure the chicks must be following you everywhere,” said Earl. Dean snorted and crossed his arms,

 

“You think so?” he asked trying really hard not to laugh,

 

“Yeah bro… if you’re looking for a big car we have better and cooler options; and if you want to sell that beautiful car you’re driving I’m interested,” said Earl,

 

“No man, I would never get rid of my baby, I’m just trying to get a second car; the family is getting bigger,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, well I’m just telling you man, you need a car that screams ‘big alfa male driving’, you know what I mean bro?” asked Earl.

 

“And what does this car screams according to you… bro?” asked Bobby. Earl looked at Dean for a second; Dean still had his arms crossed.

 

“Look man this car, is only gonna scream 2 things… one- you’re driving your wife’s minivan or 2- you want to be a chick,” said Earl.

 

“Have you been selling cars for a long time Earl?” asked Bobby,

 

“Not really, a month and a half maybe, I just got fired from my old job, my dad is trying to help me make some extra cash,” said Earl.

 

“I’m gonna give you some advice kid… you talk too much, you over share son, and I get you’re trying to get the costumers to like you but you need to turn it down a notch boy… try to connect your mouth with your brain,” said Bobby.

 

“I’m just trying to have a normal conversation between dudes, you know?” said Earl,

 

“Jesus,” said Dean. The guy was a total douche; Dean wanted to punch him on his stupid big teeth.

 

Earl blinked a couple of times,

 

“Can you please just show us the car?” asked Bobby pinching the bridge of his nose,

 

“Yeah, of course… okay so, I’m gonna assume that your wife’s gonna be driving this one,” said Earl opening the driver’s door.

 

“The car’s for me man,” said Dean,

 

“Really, your wife doesn’t drive?” asked Earl,

 

“I don’t have a wife,” said Dean, they hadn’t even seen the car and he was already done.

 

“Oh, a single dad then... I gotta insist man, you need a cooler car man, kids are already chicks magnets but with the right car you’re gonna be getting so much pussy,” said Earl.

 

“Man, I’m… I not interested in getting ‘so much pussy,’ I really just want to buy a damn minivan,” said Dean after taking a deep breath.

 

“Bro, you shouldn’t go around saying stuff like that, people are gonna think you’re a fag or something,” said Earl laughing.

 

The guy barely managed to avoid Dean’s punch but he wasn’t that lucky when it came to Bobby’s scolding. Dean had never seen Bobby that upset before.

* * *

 

Cas had just finished his phone call when he saw Dean and Bobby leaving the dealership,

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked when he saw Dean’s face.

 

“Let’s get out of here,” said Dean taking Cas’ hand.

 

“They didn’t have the car?” asked Cas.

 

“I’ll tell you on the road, c’mon,” said Dean.

 

They got into the car and Dean didn’t say a word for almost 5 minutes.

 

“Dean, you’re scaring me… I thought you were okay with getting a minivan, is it really that big of an issue? Because-“ Cas was interrupted by his husband.

 

“Is not that babe, the freaking salesman was a douche,” said Dean,

 

“What happened?” asked Cas worried. Bobby took a deep breath and told him what happened.

 

“He said I should get a cooler car because a minivan isn’t gonna help me get a lot of pussy,” said Dean.

 

“What a pig,” said Cas.

 

“I told him I wasn’t interested in getting any pussy, that I really was just trying to buy a minivan… he said I shouldn’t say shit like that out loud because people are gonna assume that I’m a fag,”

 

“What?” asked Cas in shock.

 

“Fucking asshole,” said Dean.

 

“What did you do?” asked Cas.

 

“I tried to punch him but the asshole was fast… Bobby yelled at him for like 3 minutes though; the dude almost cried,” said Dean with a smirk. Cas turned around to look at Bobby on the backseat, he was typing fast on his phone.

 

“Bobby, are you okay?” asked Cas.

 

“I’m gonna have a word with Frank Jenkins… that asshole he has for a son shouldn’t be interacting with costumers,” said Bobby looking even more upset that Dean.

 

“Bobby, I understand it wasn’t a good experience but this wasn’t the first time and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last one when someone uses that kind of language towards our preferences,” said Cas.

 

“How, can you do this? I mean, how do you deal with it?” asked Bobby,

 

“We’re used to it. Most of the time we ignore it… sometimes we ask people to be more respectful, it depends on the situation to be honest,” said Cas.

 

“One time a lady hit me with a bible and ‘commanded the devil to leave my body,’ in Texas… good times,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“What?” asked Bobby.

 

“Yeah, she literally tried to exorcise the gay out of me when she saw me holding hands with Cas,” said Dean.

 

“What did you do?” asked Bobby.

 

“I told her I wasn’t gay… she stopped hitting me and then I said ‘I’m actually bisexual lady, I like to fuck everyone,’ and then we ran as fast as we could,” said Dean.

 

“Jesus… I thought all that shit would go away after you finished school,” said Bobby.

 

“We live in a crazy world Bobby… some people just don’t get how easy it is to live and let live,” said Dean.

 

“I wish I had been there with you in the dealership,” said Cas.

 

“No way, if there’s something I hate more than people calling me a fag is people calling you a fag,” said Dean.

 

“Please stop using that word,” said Bobby.

 

“Yeah, we should just forget about that… let’s go to the next dealership,” said Cas.

 

“I hope the next salesman isn’t a stupid fuckboy trying to be cool,” said Dean rolling his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Tegan, Charlie and Dorothy were resting in Dorothy’s living room. They had spent a couple of hours at the mall and now they were just making plans for lunch.

 

“Okay, so let’s check again. Charlie you want a chicken salad, Tegs club sandwich without olives. Both of you want Doctor pepper, right?” asked Dorothy while reading from her computer.

 

“Yes,” said Tegan nodding.

 

“Okay, I just ordered lunch, it will be here in 30 minutes,” said Dorothy.

 

“Thanks,” said Charlie smiling.

 

“I like your apartment Dorothy,” said Tegan standing up. Dorothy lived in a beautiful apartment close to the mall. It only had one room but it had a huge living room and a fully equipped kitchen, all the walls were white and it had a huge window with a beautiful view of the city. Charlie had a lot of toys and collectibles decorating her apartment but Dorothy had a lot of pictures, books and horse figurines.

 

“Thanks Tegs, I bought it last year,” said Dorothy.

 

“I like the horsies and the pictures, who are these people?” asked Tegan staring at some framed pictures on the wall.

 

“That one is my dad, we’re with my first pony, Sir Larry Potato… my dad hated that name,” said Dorothy. Tegan looked at a picture of a tall man with short black hair smiling. A little girl that looked around Tegan’s age was sitting on a white pony.

 

“And there?” asked Tegan looking at a picture of A 12 year old wearing pigtails and a beautiful blue dress; the girl was standing awkwardly between the man of the previous picture and a woman wearing a beautiful yellow dress and a huge orange hat.

 

“That’s me with my mom and dad,” said Dorothy.

 

“I know your daddy went to heaven… but where’s your mom?” asked Tegan confused; she had never heard Dorothy mentioning her mom.

 

“I don’t know,” said Dorothy, “She left one day, she liked to travel a lot and to have adventures,”

 

“like you, you travel a lot,” said Tegan pointing at all the pictures of Dorothy’s adventures,

 

“Yeah, but I always come back home,” said Dorothy.

 

“And your mommy didn’t?” asked Tegan confused.

 

“No, I guess she wasn’t born to stay at one place, she hated it, you know? My dad loved staying at home, he said he had everything he needed there. The only other place he liked was the ranch, he was obsessed with that place,” explained Dorothy.

 

“I’m sorry your mom left… buy maybe she can come back one day,” said Tegan.

 

“Yeah, maybe… I’m okay either way, I have my awesome family here now,” said Dorothy ruffling Tegan’s hair.

 

Tegan kept asking about the pictures and Dorothy was patient enough to explain every single situation to Tegan. Finally the food arrived and they set the table.

 

“So, Tegs… how do you like living with the Winchesters?” Asked Dorothy.

 

“I like it. They always tell me a story before I go to bed, they let me pick my own clothes, they hug us and play with me and my brothers. Uncle Cas is always teaching me stuff like about his little garden outside the kitchen, he says I can have my own little garden there if I want to”.

 

“That’s cool,” said Dorothy,

 

“Yeah, and uncle Dean say he’s gonna teach me how to fix a car and how to ride a bike. They’re really cool,” said Tegan after taking a bite of her sandwich, “I miss my mommy and my daddy a lot but I like my new daddies a lot too,” she said absentmindedly. Dorothy and Charlie looked at each other but didn’t say anything.

 

“We’re glad you’re happy Tegs,” said Dorothy finally.

 

“Yeah kiddo,” said Charlie.

 

They kept eating in silence, Charlie and Dorothy didn’t know how to ask about that ‘new daddies’ situation.

 

“Dorothy,” said Tegan halfway through her sandwich,

 

“Yeah?” asked Dorothy,

 

“Are you my aunt?” asked Tegan.

 

“I… yeah, I mean if you’re cool with that,” said Dorothy.

 

“I want you to be my aunt, that would be super cool,” said Tegan.

 

“Then, I’m your aunt, simple as that kiddo,” said Dorothy smiling.

 

“Can I call you aunt Dorothy then?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, that sounds awesome… I’ve never had a niece before,” said Dorothy.

 

“And nephews, you’re my brother’s aunt too,” said Tegan.

 

“Wow, c’mon let’s take a picture I’m gonna print it and put it in that wall so I can remember this moment forever,” said Dorothy handing her phone to Charlie.

 

“Awesome,” said Tegan.

* * *

 

“I feel like it took us the whole day, but I’m glad we finally agreed on something,” said Dean handing the keys of the impala to Bobby.

 

“Remind me to never go car shopping with you again,” said Bobby taking off his hat and passing a hand through his hair.

 

“Oh, it wasn’t that bad,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, right,” said Bobby.

 

“Well, at least we finally choose a car,” said Cas looking at their new minivan.

 

“Thanks for letting me pick the color,” said Dean.

 

“I know this is a big deal for you Dean, I just want to make this experience as comfortable for you as possible,” said Cas reading through the papers they had just signed for their new minivan.

 

“Isn’t that the phrase I used the first time we had sex?” asked Dean,

 

“Okay, that’s my cue… I’ll see you guys at home,” said Bobby opening the door of the impala. Dean snorted.

 

“Don’t think I’m changing you baby,” said Dean to his beloved car, “you’re still my favorite,” he touched the hood of the car.

 

“Let’s get out of here you idjit… I’m starving,” said Bobby rolling his eyes.

 

Dean looked at his beloved car for another couple of seconds before turning around and heading to their brand new Kia Sedona.

* * *

 

After returning to Bobby’s they had shared a meal with Bobby, Jody and the twins and now they were back home.

 

Dean had gone upstairs to put Leonard in his crib since he had fallen asleep. Cas was in the kitchen folding clean clothes when he heard the unmistakable sound of small bare feet.

 

“Alan, we can’t have you running around the house barefoot when there’s snow outside, where are your socks and your boots?” asked Cas following the little boy. Alan ran as fast as he could to the living room; Cas grabbed a pair of clean socks from the laundry basket and then followed the little boy, he cornered him next to the couch.

 

“NO!” Yelled Alan.

 

“Just socks, please… I don’t want you to get sick,” said Cas waving the pair of blue socks in his hand. He picked the little boy and sat him on the couch.

 

“NO! NO! NO!” Alan wasn’t having any of it.

 

“C’mon Alan, don’t make this difficult, there’s no way I’m gonna let you walk around the house without shoes,” said Cas grabbing Alan’s left foot.

 

“Cas, I heard yelling… is everything okay?” asked Dean joining Cas in the living room.

 

“Alan doesn’t want to wear anything on his feet and the floor is really cold,” said Cas. Alan sat up and before Cas could understand what was going on the little boy slapped him.

 

“Holly shit,” said Dean walking towards his husband.

 

“Don’t,” he said to Dean. Dean stopped walking. Cas took a deep breath and he proceeded to put the sock on Al’s feet. Alan kept squirming and yelling but Cas didn’t stop.

 

“NO!” Alan tried to hit Cas again but this time Castiel was faster and stopped him.

 

“Alan Andrew Novak,” said Cas without raising his voice, “I’m responsible of your wellbeing and I know you hate to wear socks but you’re gonna hate it more if you get sick… you can kick and punch all you want and you can hate me but I’m not going to let you walk barefoot when the floor is freezing,” he looked at the little boy in the eye and after a couple of seconds Alan started crying out loud.

 

Dean remained very still, he wanted to help Cas but he knew it was important for his husband to prove himself that he was capable of dealing with the situation.

 

Alan kept yelling and kicking on the couch, Dean had never seen a little kid have a meltdown and it was heartbreaking; he could see that Alan had lost control and that he wasn’t himself at the moment.

 

Cas took a deep breath and closed his eyes; he was obviously trying to keep it together.

 

“Cas,” whispered Dean. Cas nodded,

 

“Alan, you’re having a meltdown and I’m going to help you, okay? I’m sorry I forced you to wear the socks, I’m still learning… I’m going to hug you okay? I don’t want you to accidentally hurt yourself so I’m gonna hold you tight, most of the time pressure in the body helps to regain control of ourselves,” explained Cas to the little boy, he knew he probably wouldn’t understand but he also knew it was the correct approach and he knew Dr. Norton had taught it to Jill and Mike too.

 

Dean was still in shock looking at them, he wished he could do something to help Alan. Cas reached for the little kid slowly and eventually he grabbed him and hugged him; Alan resisted at first and Cas had to hold him tight.

 

 

“Dean, could you please remove the socks from his feet?” asked Cas looking guilty. Dean nodded and acted basically in autopilot, he was freaking out but he knew he needed to keep it cool for his husband and the boy.

 

It felt eternal, but eventually after almost 20 minutes Al stopped squirming and he just cried in silence. Dean saw a few silent tears rolling down Cas’ cheeks but he didn’t say anything.

 

After another 15 minutes Cas placed the boy on the couch. He was asleep but he still had those weird spasms kids get after they stop crying; he looked exhausted.

 

“He’s going to sleep for at least a couple of hours,” whispered Cas.

 

“I should take him to his room,” said Dean.

 

“Yes,” said Cas sitting on the floor. Dean carried the boy carefully and left Cas alone for a couple of minutes; when he returned he found his husband still sitting on the floor, crying in silence.

 

“Cas,” Dean kneeled next to Castiel. Cas hugged his knees and started rocking.

 

“Babe, what do you need?” asked Dean.

 

“I can’t believe I triggered a meltdown in our child,” said Cas staring at the wall.

 

“Cas, you were trying to do the right thing, he can’t go barefoot through life, you were just worried babe,” said Dean, “can I hug you?” Cas nodded and let his body rest against his husband’s; Dean held him tight.

 

“I’m so tired Dean, I’ve been trying to act like everything’s fine… my routines have changed, I’m sleeping less, I miss Mike and Jill, I’m worried I’m not going to be a good father… there’s so much shit going on in my head right now,” said Cas.

 

“Babe, we can talk about it all, you know that… and you’re going to be a great dad Cas… you’re an excellent one already. You cook them healthy and funny snacks, you make sure they’re warm and that they wash their hands, you wash all their new clothes, you wake up in the middle of the night to make sure that they’re fine,” said Dean.

 

“Can we go to my studio? I feel like I’m about to follow Alan’s steps in a couple of minutes and Tegan is going to show up any minute now, I wouldn’t want her to see me like this,” he looked defeated.

 

“C’mon,” Dean helped him stand up and after grabbing the baby monitors from the kitchen he walked Cas upstairs.

* * *

 

By the time Cas had fallen asleep under his weighted blanket in his studio Dean was also ready to take a nap.

 

**Hey Red, how you guys doing?**

 

He sent to Charlie.

 

**Hi, we’re watching a movie… do you want us to bring her already?**

**Nah, keep watching your movie, don’t worry. Don’t feed her a lot of sugar.**

**Too late for that :P**

**Now go back to your man… make good use of this time. Maybe next time we should take the twins too.**

Dean smiled when he saw the text. Charlie probably thought Dean had asked because he wanted extra time to have a romantic evening with his husband.

 

**He’s asleep and the twins are too… I was actually thinking about taking a nap.**

It took Charlie a couple of minutes to answer.

 

**Good thinking. Go take your nap old man. I’ll call you when we’re on our way.**

Dean placed the Baby monitors next to Cas’ glasses on a small table next to the bed. He grabbed his phone and set his alarm for half an hour. He gave Cas his space and he covered himself with a different blanket but he slept next to his husband.

* * *

 

“We’re home!” yelled Charlie from the main door. Dean was in the kitchen restocking the fridge with Gatorades and water bottles, he knew Cas and Al would feel dehydrated after the afternoon they had.

 

“Kitchen!” Yelled Dean. Leonard was playing with his big Legos in the playpen; Alan, like Cas, was still asleep.

 

“Hey, you guys ready to go? Gabe just texted me, he says we need to bring ice cream, he made pie,” said Charlie walking into the kitchen followed by Dorothy and Tegan.

 

“Hi girls… how was your day kiddo?” asked Dean hugging Tegan.

 

“It was awesome! I had so much fun!” she said jumping.

 

“I see you’re a little high on sugar,” said Dean ruffing Teg’s hair.

 

“I ate 3 doughnuts,” said Tegan.

 

“You’re having a salad for dinner missy,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“Where’s Cas? Getting Alan ready?” asked Dorothy while picking Len up from the playpen.

 

“No, he’s resting… he had one of his um, headaches,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, was it a bad one?” asked Charlie worried.

 

“Yeah, I would say more like a migraine, you know?” said Dean.

 

“Is uncle Cas sick?” asked Tegan worried.

 

“No sweetheart, he just gets headaches sometimes, when he’s really tired… he just needs to rest for a few hours and sleep and then he’s good as new,” said Dean.

 

“Where is he?” asked Tegan; she didn’t look convinced with Dean’s answer.

 

“In his studio,” said Dean,

 

“But that’s his office, like grandpa Chuck’s office, he doesn’t have a bed there,” said Tegan. Cas had a very strict rule about his studio so every time the kids visited the house they were told not to go to that room because their uncle had all his important papers and work there. Tegan grew up used to that so now that she lived in the house she didn’t even ask about the room… she figured it was just a boring office.

 

“Yeah… is his office but he has a bed there too. It’s um,” he didn’t know what to say. They hadn’t talked to Tegan about the Asperger’s situation they all felt like she was too young to understand and she might worry.

 

“Sometimes he stays there working until 2 or 3 in the morning and he’s so tired he can’t even walk to his room so he just crashes there, that’s why he has the bed,” said Charlie.

 

“That’s smart… Grandpa Chuck always falls asleep in his chair,” said Tegan.

 

“Yeah, he does that a lot,” said Dean chuckling.

 

“So, you guys not going to the dinner then?” asked Dorothy.

 

“No, I don’t think so… but I’m sure Tegs here wouldn’t mind joining you,” said Dean.

 

“Sure thing, we’re okay with that,” said Charlie.

 

“Cool, Tegs, you still wanna go to your grandpa’s?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes, I wanna say goodbye before he goes to travel and sell books,” said Tegan.

 

“Okay then, I see you were kind enough to share your doughnuts with your blouse,” said Dean pointing at the smeared chocolate all over Tegan’s pink blouse.

 

“Oops,” she said.

 

“It’s okay kiddo, just go upstairs and change into something clean,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” she turned around and left the kitchen.

 

“And brush your teeth!” yelled Dean.

 

They waited a few seconds to talk once Tegan was gone.

 

“What happened?” asked Charlie.

 

“It was a mess… Alan had a meltdown because Cas made him wear socks inside the house. The kid wanted to walk around barefoot and with this freaking weather that’s crazy so Cas forced him to wear his socks and then Alan lost it, one minute he was yelling ‘NO’ and next thing I know he’s freaking slapping Castiel,” said Dean.

 

“What?” asked Dorothy and Charlie at the same time.

 

“Cas didn’t let me intervene but it was nuts; Alan kept trying to hurt Cas and… I’ve seen Cas have meltdowns dozens of times but I’ve never seen a baby like that. At some point it was like he wasn’t Alan anymore, he lost control… it was like he let the meltdown take control and I couldn’t see my kid in those eyes,” explained Dean.

 

“Oh my God,” said Charlie. She hugged Dean.

 

“And this was just the first time… I, wow… I need to learn how to help him with his meltdowns; I can’t leave that all to Cas. He was great by the way, he talked to Alan, he explained to him what was going on and he was so patient… but after Alan finally fell asleep well, then it was Cas’ turn,” said Dean.

 

“Poor thing, he’s been holding a lot of things… I know him, he’s had that face for the last couple of days, you know? Like he’s about to explode,” said Charlie.

 

“He cried a lot, but he was so tired he actually fell asleep pretty fast… I’m gonna check on him in half an hour,” said Dean looking at his watch.

 

“Dean, if you need us to take the kids with us for the night that’s cool man,” said Dorothy.

 

“No, it’s fine… we need to learn how to deal with this. This isn’t gonna be the last time,” said Dean.

 

“Well, if you change your mind just let us know, okay?” said Charlie.

 

“We could at least take Len to Chuck’s too,” said Dorothy.

 

“No, this is the first time we see Alan having a meltdown and I actually want to see what happens after; I would like to see how Len reacts too,” said Dean.

 

“So, there’s like more after a meltdown?” asked Dorothy.

 

“Girl, we need to have a long talk,” said Charlie.

 

“It depends on the person and the situation… Cas usually doesn’t like to talk after a meltdown. If it is a really hard one he can even go for days without saying a word,” said Dean.

 

“Wow, I really need to learn more about this,” said Dorothy.

 

“We have a shitload of books we can lend you, don’t worry,” said Dean.

 

“I’m ready!” said Tegan wearing a yellow blouse now.

 

“Great,” said Dorothy

 

“Hey, wait… did you buy a new car or not?” asked Charlie.

 

“Oh, right; what happened with that?” asked Dorothy.

 

“Yep, I’m a step closer to becoming a soccer mom. C’mon it’s in the garage,” said Dean. The girls followed him. Dorothy was still carrying Leonard.

 

Dean opened the garage door and turned on the light,

 

“Here it is, I give you our brand new 2020 Kia Sedona, leather interiors because I’m pretty sure they’re easier to clean when it comes to food accidents; screens on the back of the seats for the kids, and well… just basically the perfect car for a family; also, it’s black,” said Dean.

 

“I love it,” said Charlie.

 

“Wow, did you cry a lot?” asked Dorothy.

 

“I gotta admit, I kinda fell in love with her when I saw her. We went to 2 other dealerships at first but on the first one the salesman was a douche, on the second one the cars weren’t in good conditions and then we ended up buying this one. Cas loved it, it was in his top 5 and I think it doesn’t look like your usual minivan, it has more style so we finally agreed on this one,” said Dean.

 

“Can I open it?” asked Tegan.

 

“Sure,” said Dean. He opened it for Tegan and the little girl climbed inside fascinated.

 

“It hast a TV in every seat!” She yelled. “It looks like the car mom used to have in Pierre,” said Tegan.

 

“You like it?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah!” she said.

 

“Well, tomorrow we can go for a drive so you can totally check it out,” said Dean.

 

“Awesome,” said Tegan from inside the car.

 

“Man, this thing is so gonna be full of cheerios and pieces of Oreos by the end of the week,” said Charlie.

 

“I know,” said Dean smiling.

* * *

 

After Tegan left with her aunts Dean took Len to his room.

 

“Nik, come here buddy; I need to you baby sit for a couple of minutes,” called Dean when he saw Nik playing with one of his toys in the TV room. Nik stopped playing and followed Dean.

 

“Okay Len, I’m gonna leave you here for a couple of minutes while I go check on your brother and your… and Cas. Nik’s gonna stay here with you,” said Dean. He sat the baby on a mat next to his crib and handed him some of his toys, “there you go buddy, just play here”.

 

Leonard grabbed a couple of toy cars and started playing with them happily. Dean ruffled his hair and then smiled at the little boy. He turned around and saw Nik staring at him,

 

“Buddy, take care of Len, okay?” said Dean to the little dog. He made sure he had the baby monitor and left the room. He turned around, placed the little baby gate outside Len’s door and then went to check on Alan.

* * *

 

Just as Dean imagined the baby was sound asleep. He looked so peaceful and relaxed in his crib. Dean touched his cheek lightly and just smiled at the little boy. He wondered about Cas’ childhood; were Cas’ meltdowns that hard when he was a baby? What crossed his mind at those moments? Did he suffer? What did his parents do?

 

“Jesus,” he whispered. He knew he would have to have a long talk with his husband and he knew they would have to seek for help for Alan. He immediately thought about Dr. Norton. He grabbed his phone and after making sure that Alan was fine he left the room.

* * *

 

“Pass the ball to Nik!” said Dean pointing at the dog. He was sitting on the mat playing with Leonard and Nik. Leonard looked at the dog and smiled at him. Nik waited patiently for the ball, he was actually a natural when it came to deal with little kids.

 

“C’mon buddy… roll it like I showed you, Nik’s gonna give it back to you,” said Dean. Leonard placed the ball on the floor and pushed it towards the dog. Nik grabbed the ball and waved his tail happily.

 

“Good job kiddo,” said Dean smiling. Nik returned the ball to Leonard and the little boy clapped and smiled.

 

“Can you say Nik?” asked Dean to the little boy, “Nik”.

 

“ik,” said Leonard.

 

“Close enough,” said Dean with a shrug.

 

“You know buddy, I was wondering… how are you and your brother gonna call us? I mean, we’re cool with being uncle Cas and uncle Dean but I wouldn’t mind being dad or papa or something like that,” said Dean ruffling Len’s hair. Leonard smiled and handed him the ball.

 

“Thanks,” said Dean.

 

“Looks like you two are having fun,” came Cas’s voice from the door.

 

“Oh, hi babe… how are you feeling?” asked Dean.

 

“The usual… but I’ll live,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Why don’t you stay here with Len and I’ll go downstairs to grab you some water?” asked Dean standing up.

 

“Would you mind making some tea?” asked Cas. Dean stopped next to his husband and lightly touched his hand.

 

“Anything you want Cas,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Thanks,” said Cas. Dean could tell Castiel wasn’t in the mood for talking; he looked exhausted. Dean nodded and left the room.

 

“Hi Leonard… I don’t feel like talking, hope that’s okay,” said Cas to the little boy. Leonard handed him the ball and then pointed at Nik.

 

“That, I can do,” said Cas to the little boy.

* * *

 

Alan woke up on time for dinner. Dean had prepared pasta and steamed vegetables. They could tell Alan was feeling the aftermath of the meltdown… he looked tired and quiet in comparison to his twin.

 

Leonard seemed to know his twin wasn’t in the mood because usually he would be handing him food or playing with him but this time he was giving him his space.

 

“You think he’s okay to take a bath?” asked Dean.

 

“I actually think a bath would help him, I’m pretty sure his body aches everywhere,” said Cas. It had been the longest Cas had talked since he woke up and the words made Dean’s heart ache. Cas noticed Dean tensing up after his words.

 

“I’m sorry,” whispered Castiel.

 

“No babe, it’s fine… it just- it’s hard to see him like this; I’ve never seen a baby losing control like that. I remember your meltdowns when we were kids but you were so polite and worried about everyone else that you usually had those in private… I mean, I got to see you some times but this was 100 times worst,” said Dean.

 

Cas nodded and kept feeding Alan.

 

“We should make an appointment with Dr. Norton,” said Cas.

 

“Already did that, hope you don’t mind… I called her earlier. We have an appointment on Tuesday,” said Dean.

 

“Perfect,” said Cas smiling.

 

They kept eating in silence.

* * *

 

When Tegan returned from Chuck’s Dean and Cas were watching an episode of BoJack Horseman with the twins. The kids didn’t understand what was going on with the show but they seemed to like the cartoons and neither Cas nor Dean were in the mood for watching cartoons for babies.

 

“Hi Tegs,” said Dean pressing pause on the remote.

 

“Hi, are you feeling better uncle Cas? Uncle Dean said you had a headache,” said Tegan sitting down between them.

 

“Yes Tegan… I’m sorry I couldn’t join you for dinner at my dad’s,” said Cas.

 

“It’s okay,” said Tegan; she rested her hair on Cas’ shoulder.

 

“I’m gonna go lock the door and set the alarm system, be right back,” said Dean standing up.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan.

* * *

 

“Where’s Tegan?” asked Dean when he returned to the TV room.

 

“She went to brush her teeth, she was falling asleep on the couch,” said Cas.

 

“She must be tired,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, she says she played basketball with her aunt Charlie and her aunt Dorothy,” said Cas.

 

“She actually called Dorothy her aunt?”

 

“Yes… apparently she asked her to be her aunt and Dorothy said yes,” answered Cas standing up.

 

“Wow,” said Dean.

 

“We should take the boys to bed,” said Cas. Dean nodded and grabbed Leonard from the mat.

 

“C’mon buddy… we had a long day, we should go to bed,” said Dean. Cas grabbed Alan and took him to his room.

* * *

 

“That bath was exactly what I needed,” said Cas drying his hair with a towel.

 

“How you feeling?” asked Dean from the bed.

 

“Better,” said Cas. He hanged his towel on the back of a chair and climbed into bed next to his husband.

 

“Glad to hear that,” said Dean, he wanted to hug Cas but he knew he probably needed some space.

 

“We need to talk,” said Cas.

 

“Only if you want to, I know sometimes you don’t feel like talking after a meltdown,” said Dean.

 

“I want to,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” said Dean sitting up.

 

“First, I want to apologize… I can feel your distress and I completely understand… what I did today,” he took a deep breath.

 

“What?” asked Dean.

 

“Dean, I lost control for a second… I forced our child to do something he hates and I triggered a meltdown on him… I’m so sorry,” said Cas.

 

“Babe, you didn’t do anything wrong… we already talked about this,” said Dean.

 

“You seem upset,” said Cas.

 

“Of course I’m upset… but not because of that. I’m upset with the fucking universe for doing that shit to an innocent boy… for doing that to you. Don’t get me wrong, I love you and I’m not scared about your meltdowns but knowing that you’re suffering, that you can’t control what’s happening… I’ll never get used to that and now- with Alan- he’s just a baby Cas… I never witnessed one of your meltdowns when you were a baby Cas… this was the first time I saw something like that and it broke my fucking heart… yes, I’m upset but not with you Cas, never with you,” said Dean. Castiel hugged his husband.

 

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you… you’re perfect,” said Cas.

 

“Cas… you’re the one that’s perfect. I love you so fucking much… you teach me something new every day man. And I know you’re trying okay? Yes, you lost it for a second today with Alan but to be honest I’m pretty sure he was reacting to all the changes he’s been through lately… I think the socks were the last straw but don’t blame it all on you, okay?” said Dean, he placed a soft kiss to Cas’ forehead.

 

“I never thought that I would end up being a father… but then again, I never thought I would stop being a virgin closeted gay secretly in love with my best friend,” said Cas smiling.

 

“I’m glad I’ve been here to help you with all that,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Thanks Dean,” said Cas. They remained silent for a couple of minutes.

 

“Babe, I want to learn everything about autism in children… I want to be able to help our son,” said Dean.

 

“We’ve been calling him our son a lot today,” said Cas.

 

“We need to get used to that,” said Dean.

 

“A lot of things have changed in such a short period,” said Cas.

 

“You know what hasn’t changed?” asked Dean.

 

“What?” asked Cas.

 

“My love for you,” said Dean. Cas smiled and pulled his husband from the collar of his shirt.

 

“Sorry to tell you this but, my love for you has changed too… I love you more and more ever single day,” said Cas placing a soft kiss to Dean’s lips. Dean smiled and returned the kiss happily; they made out slowly for almost a minute until they had to stop for air.

 

“Dork,” said Dean kissing the tip of Cas’ nose.

 

“I love you,” said Cas smiling.

 

“I love you too and I love our life Cas… now, let’s get some shuteye. Our kids are gonna wake up pretty early tomorrow,” said Dean making emphasis on the word OUR.

 

“Can’t wait to be a stay at home dad and sleep all day while I pretend I’m cleaning the house,” said Cas smiling. Dean snorted and turned off the light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it. As you can see, Dean and Cas are feeling more like parents everyday and they're starting to learn how to deal with the kids. Next chapter we'll see Tegan starting school, the return of Dr. Norton and Dean Winchester mastering the art of driving a minivan with style.


	25. A regular American family.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life with the kids is starting to get its course. Tegan starts school, Alan goes to therapy and Dean and Cas go on a date.
> 
> This chapter contains a lot of fluff and a flashback.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry it took me forever to upload! I finally finished school and I went on a trip to celebrate my freedom. But now I'm back and since I don't have school anymore y have free time again and I can write faster.
> 
> This chapter is a little long, hope you like it. Also, don't get used to the fluffiness because next couple of chapters are gonna have some angst. 
> 
> Remember English isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistake.

* * *

 

November 7th

 

Dean felt like they were living in a TV show about a regular American family… except, of course there was nothing regular about his family and that was why he loved them so much.

 

After getting ready for the day he went downstairs to find Tegan sitting at the kitchen table waiting for her breakfast. The twins were playing in their playpen and Cas was working fast with breakfast.

 

“It smells amazing,” said Dean smiling to his husband,

 

“I’m making blueberry pancakes,” said Cas smiling too. He handed a plate with little pancakes and a sliced banana to Dean, “can you give this to Tegan?”

 

“Sure, do you need help with anything else?” asked Dean.

 

“Hmm… oh, yes; can you make sure that Nik has food?” asked Cas.

 

“I’m on it,” said Dean. He placed the plate in front of Tegan and kissed the top of her head, “good morning sweetheart, ready for your first day of school?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah,” she said smiling. She grabbed her fork and started eating. Usually Nik’s dishes were at a corner of the kitchen. Dean made sure that the little dog had enough food and then went back to his husband’s side.

 

“Tegan’s eating and Nik has food,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, thanks,” said Cas. He handed two plates with food to his husband, “take this to the table, I’ll bring our drinks,” said Cas.

 

Dean smiled, it all looked so domestic and normal.

 

They had breakfast listening to Tegan talking about how she imagined her classes would be. As usual, Dean ate faster than the others so he decided to take the boys upstairs and change their clothes.

 

“Who’s taking me to school?” asked Tegan.

 

“Dean is going to drive you every day and pick you up too… except for today; if you don’t mind I would like to join you guys in your first trip to the new school,” said Cas.

 

“That’s cool… mommy and daddy always went with me to my first day of school,” said Tegan.

 

“I’m not going to lie to you; this isn’t a regular first day of school, you’re joining your classmates in the middle of the school year which means that everyone knows each other already but you’re such a nice lovely person I’m pretty sure you’re going to make a lot of friends,” said Cas.

 

“I really want to make lots and lots of new friends,” said Tegan looking excited.

 

“I’m sure you will sweetheart… now, if you finished your breakfast please go brush your teeth and grab your backpack; I’m going to finish packing your lunchbox… would you like and apple or do you prefer sliced strawberries?” asked Cas standing up and taking the plates to the sink.

 

“Apple please,” she said.

 

“Okay then, I made you a turkey sandwich and I put one of those coconut waters you like so much. Dean told me to add something special for you but it’s a surprise… you’re gonna have to wait until your recess to find out what it is,” said Cas smiling.

 

“I love surprises,” said Tegan. She placed her dirty dishes in the sink and then ran upstairs to brush her teeth.

 

“Don’t run!” yelled Cas.

* * *

 

The previous day they had taken the kids for a ride in their new car, it had been an interesting experience and it had taken them almost an hour to get everything ready. Today, luckily they would only be out of the house for an hour at most so Cas only packed one diaper bag and a toy for each twin. He was placing the stroller inside the trunk of the minivan when Dean joined them.

 

“Need any help?” he asked.

 

“Everything is in order; how about the twins?” asked Cas.

 

“Ready to go,” said Dean. He was carrying Alan with his left arm and Len with his right one.

 

“Okay, let’s put them in their seats,” said Cas taking Leonard.

 

“Where’s Tegan?” asked Dean.

 

“She went to brush her teeth,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” said Dean.

 

“I’m ready!” said Tegan entering the garage.

 

“Let’s go then,” said Dean smiling.

 

They left the house and drove straight to the new school.

 

* * *

 

They could see a lot of kids running and screaming in the playground; moms, dads and nannies walking their kids to the school. There were parents in the car line waiting for their turn to drop their kids at the door.

 

“Jesus, I hate that kind of people… is it really necessary to reach the school door in the car? Kids can walk,” said Dean parking the minivan around the corner of the school.

 

“I guess they just want to make sure their kids make it to school safely,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, but they can park around the corner just like us and then walk their kids to the school,” said Dean opening the door of the minivan and helping Leonard out of his seat.

 

“Maybe they just have all the time in the world to wait in the line,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, is probably that,” said Dean. Cas took a deep breath and considered for a minute how useful it would be if he could drive… when he started to feel his hands sweating he shook his head and decided to focus on helping Alan out of the car.

 

Dean pushed the stroller while Cas walked hand in hand with Tegan. Most of the parents just dropped their kids outside the door of the school and then waved goodbye. Dean would probably have to do that normally if he wanted to be on time for work. But since it was Tegan’s first day of school they decided to walk her to her classroom.

* * *

 

The teacher was already there; her hair was long and red. She was writing something on the whiteboard.

 

“Good morning,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, hi… you must be my new student,” she said leaving the marker on the desk and grabbing a yellow folder. “Tegan Jane Novak, right?” Tegan nodded.

 

“Yeah, I’m Tegan,” said the little girl.

 

“Lovely name, there’s this band that I love, they’re called Tegan and Sara… great music,” said Anna approaching the family.

 

“My mommy loved their music that’s why I’m named Tegan,” she smiled at her teacher.

 

“Wow, that’s so cool,” said the teacher, “Well Tegan, I’m Anna Milton… my students call me miss Milton,” said the teacher, “and you must be Tegan’s legal guardians; Mrs. Wilson already caught me up on your situation,” said miss Milton.

 

“Hi, I’m Dean Winchester, this is my husband Castiel Winchester, and these are Alan and Leonard,” said Dean. They shook hands with the teacher.

 

“You own that car shop close to the downtown, don’t you?” asked Anna.

 

“Yeah, that’s me… I own the place with my father and my husband,” said Dean.

 

“He’s gonna teach me how to fix cars,” said Tegan.

 

“That’s so cool, you’re so lucky,” said Miss Milton. The first bell rang in that moment.

 

“Tegan, sweetheart… we have to go,” said Cas.

 

“C’mon kiddo, give me a big hug,” said Dean kneeling in front of the girl. Tegan kissed him on the cheek and hugged him,

 

“Goodbye uncle Dean, have a nice day and say hi to grandpa Bobby,” said Tegan.

 

“Will do kiddo, make sure you have fun and learn a lot, okay?” asked Dean. _Why the fuck did he feel like he was about to start crying?_

 

“Goodbye Tegan, I’ll see you at home, okay? Enjoy this new experience, we love you,” said Cas. Tegan hugged him and whispered to his ear,

 

“Thanks for the hug uncle Cas,” she said. Cas kissed her cheek and stood up.

 

“Don’t worry guys… parents always get emotional dropping their kids for the first time at school,” said Anna, “Tegan, why don’t you put your stuff back there? You can even hang your sweater, the classroom isn’t that cold,” said the teacher pointing at the back of the class, “I’m going to talk to your uncles really fast, okay?”

 

“Okay,” said Tegan. She waved goodbye to her brothers and then went to place her stuff in the cubbies.

 

“Principal Wilson told me about her situation… I’m really sorry for your loss,” she said.

 

“Thanks,” answered Dean.

 

“I understand it happened just a few weeks ago,” she said concerned.

 

“Yeah, on the 24th,” answered Dean.

 

“How is she doing?” asked Anna.

 

“She’s fine… I mean, she understands what happened and she misses them of course but she’s being really mature about it, she just wants to move on and be happy,” said Dean.

 

“To be honest we try to keep them busy and distracted, we have a big family and they’re adapting very fast to their new situation,” said Castiel.

 

“That’s good… some kids react very badly to those kind of changes, she’s lucky she has her family with her,” said Anna. A few of the students started to walk into the classroom. Cas noticed a couple of girls approaching Tegan.

 

“We were lucky I guess, she was used to interact with our family so that helped a lot too,” said Cas.

 

“I’m gonna keep an eye on her of course and just like I do with every single one of my kids I need the parents’ help of course. Just half of their education happens in school, the other part is up to you,” said Miss Milton.

 

“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” said Cas smiling. Miss Milton grabbed a green folder from her desk and handed it to Cas.

 

“Here’s the whole calendar for the rest of the year. All the classroom and school activities are there. I also added a list with all the contact information of all the parents in this class and I’m gonna need a phone number and e-mail from either of you to add to the list,” she said. Cas handed her his business card.

 

“Is your information here too?” asked Dean pointing at the folder.

 

“Yes, don’t worry about it,” said Miss Milton.

 

“I mean, we’re not gonna call you on a Friday night to ask something stupid… we just want to know how she’s doing,” said Dean.

 

“Don’t worry about it, I was actually going to suggest that I could send you an e-mail this Friday with my observations of this week. We could keep doing that until we agree that she’s adapted,” said the teacher.

 

“We would really appreciate it,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, then I’ll write to you on Friday,” said the teacher politely trying to end the conversation.

 

“We should go, I bet the second bell is about to ring and we don’t want to interrupt your class,” said Dean.

 

“Miss Milton, can Tegan sit with us?” came a little voice from behind them. They turned around to see a blonde girl with purple glasses holding Tegan’s hand.

 

“Of course Julie,” said the teacher.

  

“Look at that, she’s already making friends,” said Dean smiling.

 

“She’s going to be fine,” said Miss Milton.

 

“Thanks Miss Milton,” said Dean. They shook hands again and after waving goodbye to Tegan they finally left.

* * *

 

 

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” asked Dean while helping Alan out of the minivan.

 

“Dean, it is up to you… if you’re still feeling sad and you think you’re not ready for work then stay,” said Cas taking the stroller out of the trunk.

 

“It’s not that… I mean, I’m sad and I still feel my stomach dropping every time I think about them but that’s not what I meant… it’s just, are you? I um,”

 

“You’re worried my depression will cloud my ability to take care of the children,” said Cas interrupting Dean.

 

“What? No way man! You’re totally capable of taking care of the kids, you’re better at that than me… what I was trying to say is- when my dad died I felt so weird, I wanted to just be in this bubble without talking to anyone else but you; I just wanted to stay home with you and cuddle and talk… I don’t know what it was but I- you know what? Never mind,” said Dean. He walked into the house and Cas followed him.

 

“Dean,” said Cas when they reached the kitchen. They placed the kids in their playpen with some toys and then walked towards the kitchen island.

 

“I’m sorry Cas, okay? I don’t want you to think that I don’t trust you or your ability to take care of our kids… I’m just worried; my dad wasn’t a part of my life and I felt like shit after he died. Jill and Mike were our family Cas and… this is about me okay? I’m scared of leaving you, first because I don’t want you to feel how I felt when dad died but I know it’s stupid because of course you’re gonna feel sad... and second, because being with you and with the kids makes me so fucking happy and I don’t have time to feel sad but now, I’m about to go and face my first day without you guys and… I’m just scared,” said Dean.

 

“Dean, you can do this, okay? I know this sucks, getting used to all this is horrible but we need to go on with our lives… I mean, if my dad was able to leave on his own and start the tour then we can do this,” said Cas holding his husband’s hand. Dean nodded and pulled Cas into a hug.

 

“I love you so much Cas,” said Dean.

  
“And I love you too Dean,” said Cas.

 

Dean kissed Cas softly on the lips.

 

Dean’s phone alerted him of a text message in that moment. He rolled his eyes and grabbed his phone.

 

“I better go, Bobby needs my help,” said Dean.

 

“Have a great day love, I’ll see you in a few hours,” said Cas. Dean kissed him again and then walked towards the playpen,

 

“Be nice, okay?” he said to the twins. He walked through the hallway that led to the garage and a few seconds later Cas could here the sound of the impala’s engine.

* * *

 

 

“Okay kids, so what do you want to do today?” asked Cas to the twins.

 

The boys of course didn’t say anything.

 

“Okay, I’m gona take your silence as a ‘let’s go to the store to get everything we’ll need for dinner',” said Cas.

* * *

 

For Dean it felt weird to go back to work because his routine had changed a little. For years, Bobby had been trying to convince him that it wasn’t necessary for Dean to work from 9 am to 6:30 pm, but Dean was one of the bosses at the garage and he didn’t mind staying a few extra hours every day to help Bobby around.

 

Now, things were going to change. Dean had talked to Bobby the previous day; they agreed that Dean needed to make some changes in his work hours to be able to help Cas with the kids. Bobby suggested Dean’s new schedule could be from 9:30 to 1 and then from 2 to 5. And though Dean had argued at first, Bobby had ended the discussion with a simple “Dean, you’re the freaking boss of the place, you could even work from your home and if you need more reasons to change your schedule apart from helping Castiel with the kids then here’s an excellent one… you’re gonna have this new schedule because I’m your father and I say so,” Dean knew he couldn’t win that battle.

 

He chuckled as he remembered Bobby’s words and he wondered if he would ever have to use that phrase with the kids ‘ _because I’m your father and I say so’._

He got out of his car and went straight to Bobby’s office. The door was open so he leaned against the doorframe and cleared his throat.

 

“Morning son,” said Bobby.

 

“Hi,” said Dean.

 

“Well… how did it go?” asked Bobby from behind his desk.

 

“It was great, she loved it and her teacher is awesome. The school is pretty cool and they’re really involved in the communication between parents and teachers… I think we made a great choice,” said Dean.

 

“Good to know… how ‘bout Cas? He doin’ fine?” asked Bobby. Dean walked into the office and sat on a chair in front of Bobby’s desk.

 

“Yeah, to be honest I was the one freaking out this morning,” admitted Dean.

 

“Dean… I mean it son, if you’re not ready to come back it’s totally fine,” said Bobby.

 

“It’s just,” said Dean rubbing the back of his head.

 

“Dean, your life has changed a big deal in the last couple of weeks… don’t be ashamed to ask for things kid, if you ain’t ready I get it,” said Bobby.

 

“Bobby, OUR lives have changed a big deal, not just mine… everybody is going back to their routines and trying to move one, it’s time I do the same,” said Dean.

 

“Then why were you freaking out this morning?” asked Bobby.

 

“Well… I don’t know; I guess at home I’m always distracted with the kids and Cas but I was just kinda scared that being alone in my office here would give me time to think about sad stuff… I’m still scared of that to be honest,” said Dean.

 

“That ain’t a problem son, you have a shitload of paperwork waiting for you and a client called last week, they’re dropping a 64 mustang today for you to play with… you think that’s gonna be a good way to distract yourself?” asked Bobby.

 

“Yeah, I think I can manage,” said Dean smiling at the old man. Bobby started typing on his computer and Dean noticed a framed picture that wasn’t on the desk the last time he visited Bobby’s office. It was a picture from Mike and Jill’s wedding. The whole family was there – Bobby, Chuck, Sam, Dean, Cas, Gabe, Charlie, Jody, Mike, Jill and little Tegan- Dean smiled at the picture and wondered when was the last time they all took a picture together, one that included the twins and Dorothy; probably Cas’ birthday. He would make sure of printing one and framing it as a Christmas present for Bobby.

 

“Well, we have a busy day ahead, that guy from the market research thing just e-mailed back, he says he wants to schedule a conference this afternoon,” said Bobby.

 

“You think he has good news?” asked Dean.

 

“Don’t know… we’ll have to wait and see,” said Bobby.

 

“Just make sure you schedule it for after 2 pm, I need to pick Tegan from school, remember,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, no problem,” said Bobby.

* * *

 

It was cold outside even though the snow had melted the previous day. Cas made sure that the twins were warm in their stroller and after grabbing his backpack he walked towards the main door.

 

Nik followed them and barked at Cas,

 

“Sorry Nikola Tesla, this is my first attempt of taking the boys out on my own. If this experiment works without eventualities I promise you can join us next time,” said Cas with an apologetic tone. He felt bad for neglecting his little dog; he made a mental note to buy him a special treat.

 

After closing the gate he put the key in his pocket and checked his phone, it was 10:37 am, he had enough time to go to the store and come back. He knew usually it would only take him about 45 minutes to do it but now, with the twins it would probably take him a lot more. He took a deep breath and pushed the stroller.

* * *

 

His first stop was at the grocery store. He also found his first problem there- he needed a shopping cart but he also needed to push the stroller. He wasn’t going to be able to push both at the same time. After a little consideration he opted for a small metallic basket that he hanged from the back of the stroller.

 

He was grabbing a package of bacon when a young woman pushing a shopping cart stopped next to him.

 

“Wow, they’re beautiful,” she said when she saw the twins.

 

“Thanks,” said Cas smiling at her; only then did he notice that the woman was pregnant, at least 6 months. She waved at the twins and giggled when Leonard waved back at her.

 

“Oh my god, and so well behaved,” she said. Cas smiled at her; “got any tips?” she asked rubbing her belly.

 

“Oh… for pregnancy?” asked Cas.

 

“No, I mean, no offence but you’re a man I don’t think you could give me tips on that area,” she said smiling, “what I meant is… I’m having twins and to be honest I’m freaking out,” she confessed.

 

“Oh, I see,” said Castiel placing the bacon inside the basket, “I’m afraid I won’t be of much help, I’m kind of new to this,”

 

“They’re like what? A year old?” she asked,

 

“Yes, they turned 1 in July but that’s not what I meant… we just adopted them,” said Cas.

 

“Oh,” said the woman.

 

“So I guess we’re just learning… I can tell you this though; I’ve noticed that people believe 2 things when it comes to twins, either they think that twins are extreme opposites from each other or they think that they’re exactly the same… and to be honest it is a weird mix between both ideas,” said Cas.

 

“I don’t get it,” she said.

 

“Well, they compliment each other, it is like they’re different sides of the same person… it’s amazing how they’re there for each other, even at this age,” said Cas.

 

“And what about the crying, the feeding, and all that? Does it always happen at the same time? I think that’s what freaks me out the most,” she asked.

 

“Well, like I said, we’re new to this but most of the time they don’t cry at the same time, usually if one starts crying we take him to other room before the other one follows his example… and when it comes to feeding they basically have the same schedule but what we do, and believe me, this is going to save you a lot of trouble,” he said. The woman nodded, “we always make sure they eat before us, that way by the time we’re having lunch they’re full and sleepy instead of hungry and moody,” said Cas.

 

“Wow, sounds great; that way you still manage to have a nice meal with your husband… your wife in your case,” she said.

 

“I have a husband too,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, well… that way you still manage to have a nice meal with your husband,” she said smiling.

 

“Yes, that helps a lot,” said Cas.

 

“Tell me the truth, is it hard to raise twins?” She asked.

 

“It is… I never thought I would have kids and now that I have them it’s one of the hardest thing’s I’ve ever had to do in my life but they make us so happy,” said Cas. She smiled at Cas and then her phone buzzed inside her phone. She grabbed it and read a text.

 

“Shoot, gotta go… but it was nice talking to you,” she said.

 

“Likewise,” said Cas.

 

“Good luck with your twins,” said the woman.

 

“You too,” said Cas smiling.

 

“I didn’t catch your name by the way,” she said.

 

“Oh, I’m Cas and these are Alan and Leonard,” he said.

 

“I’m Susie,” she said smiling, “well guys, it was nice meeting you. See you around.” She pushed her shopping cart and turned left in the next hall.

 

“Look at us, already making friends,” said Cas to the twins. Alan pointed at a box of frozen pizza inside one of the freezers.

 

“Jesus, you’re addicted to that stuff,” said Cas ruffling Alan’s hair.

 

He pushed the stroller and kept shopping.

* * *

 

“We’re home!” yelled Tegan from the main door. She dropped her backpack next to the door and ran towards the kitchen.

 

“Hi sweetheart, how was school?” asked Cas from the table. He was currently feeding steamed vegetables and rice to the twins.

 

“It was awesome,” said Tegan.

 

“Tegs, I know you’re happy and you want to tell Cas everything about your day but is that the right place for your backpack?” asked Dean walking into the kitchen. Tegan looked at him with wide eyes,

 

“No, sorry,” she said.

 

“It’s okay kiddo… I’m not trying to be mean but everything has a place… besides, someone could trip on it and hurt themselves,” said Dean.

 

She went back to the door and grabbed her backpack,

 

“I’m gonna put it in my room and wash my hands,” she said.

 

“Thanks kiddo,” said Dean.

 

Cas looked at Dean and blinked.

 

“That was interesting,” said Cas.

 

“It felt weird… telling her what to do,” said Dean pulling a chair. Cas chuckled, “man it felt too real,” said Dean sitting down.

 

“Sorry to tell you this but that’s kind of our job as her parental figures,” said Cas. He fed Alan his last piece of cauliflower and then stood up, “I made you a BTL and noodle soup for lunch,” said Cas.

 

“Awesome,” said Dean.

 

“Go wash your hands please,” said Cas. Dean smiled and rolled his eyes,

 

“Be right back,” said Dean standing up.

* * *

 

Tegan had already eaten lunch at school around 11:30 so she wasn’t hungry. Still she sat at the table and shared her day with Dean and Cas.

 

“… And then Angie dropped the glitter bowl and it fell on her drawing and she cried but then Miss Milton hugged her and said her drawing looked beautiful with the glitter and then Angie stopped crying,” said Tegan.

 

“Wow Tegs, you made so many friends today I don’t know if I’ll be able to remember all their names,” said Dean, “Nathalie, Louise, Katie, Steve, Andy, Julie…” started listing Dean.

 

“And Angie,” said Tegan.

 

“And Angie, of course,” said Dean.

 

“They were really nice and Steve said it was cool that I got pie for lunch,” said Tegan.

 

“So you liked your surprise?” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, it was uncle Gabe’s pie, right?” she asked.

 

“Yes, how do you know?” asked Cas.

 

“Because it’s the best pie… well, don’t tell him but I like grandma Winchester’s pie a little bit more,” she said.

 

“Really?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah, but I think is because your mom’s pie is special because we don’t get to have it all the time and we eat uncle Gabe’s pie all the time,” said Tegan.

 

“Makes sense,” said Dean. He looked at his watch,

 

“I gotta go guys, I really wish I could stay more but today is a busy day at the garage,” said Dean. He stood up and grabbed all the dirty dishes from the table. “I’m just gonna brush my teeth,” he left the kitchen walking pretty fast.

 

“Do you have any homework?” asked Cas to Tegan.

 

“No, Miss Milton said we won’t have homework this week because I’m getting used to the new school,” said Tegan.

 

“I’m pretty sure you made all your classmates very happy,” said Cas. Tegan smiled.

 

“What are we doing today?” asked Tegan.

 

“Well, I was thinking we could look online for your room decorations. I already ordered the stuff for the boys but I was waiting your you to pick whatever you want for your room,” said Cas.

 

“Awesome,” said Tegan.

 

“I’ll just finish cleaning up the kitchen and then we can take care of that,” said Cas.

 

“Can I play with Nik?” asked Tegan.

 

“That would be great actually; I think he’s sad because I took the twins for a walk today and I didn’t took him with us,” said Cas.

 

“Poor Nik,” she stood up and looked at her surroundings. “NIK!! Wanna play?” she yelled. The little dog walked into the kitchen 10 seconds later. “C’mon boy,”

 

“If you’re gonna play outside put on your jacket sweetheart,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” she said leaving the kitchen, Nik following her.

 

Dean returned to the kitchen,

 

“I’m heading out,” said Dean. He hugged Cas from behind and kissed the back of his neck. Cas turned around and pressed a soft kiss to his lips,

 

“Good luck at your meeting,” said Cas.

 

“Thanks babe,” said Dean.

 

“See you in a few hours,” said Cas. Dean kissed him again and then turned around and left the kitchen.

* * *

 

Cas had just finished talking on face-time with Sam when he heard the garage door being opened; Dean was home. Castiel looked at his watch and then stood up and turned on the oven.

 

“I’m home!” came Dean’s voice from the hallway that connected the garage and the kitchen.

 

“Hello Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Hi babe,” said Dean. He kissed his husband on the lips and then walked to the fridge to grab a beer.

 

“How did the meeting go?” asked Cas.

 

“Oh, it was great,” he took a swig from his beer, “ the study showed that opening a garage in Pierre would actually be a great idea… the dude mentioned a lot of numbers and statistics but bottom line we should open a new garage there,” said Dean.

 

“That sounds great, when are you starting?” asked Cas picking Leonard from the playpen,

 

“Well his business can also help us find the perfect location according to his study, we actually don’t know yet if we’re gonna rent or buy but they’re gonna help us find the place,” said Dean. He helped Cas to sit Len in his high chair while Cas went back to pick Alan from the playpen.

 

“I’m so proud of you Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Hey, this is our business, don’t forget… thanks to you we managed to bring back to life the garage,” said Dean.

 

“I did it because I love you guys, you’re my family and I’m happy to see your dreams come true… who knows? Maybe in a couple of years you could finally open your garage dedicated only to restore classic cars,” said Cas.

 

“We’ll have to see how it goes with this new garage first,” said Dean. Cas handed him a plate with Alan’s dinner and then he sat in front of Leonard to feed him.

 

“Sam called,” said Cas.

 

“Crap, I was supposed to call him,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, I told him you were busy with your meeting… he wants to set a date to read the wills,” said Cas with a serious expression.

 

“Did he say something about the kids?” asked Dean.

 

“He’s almost done with the process, it was simple since in the will they stipulate that we’re candidates… the fact that Jill didn’t have family left and that Mike was my brother helps a lot too,” said Cas.

 

“I’m glad this is gonna be done soon… I’ll feel more comfortable knowing that they’re legally our kids,” said Dean.

 

“Yes, me too… Naomi’s threats left me thinking,” said Cas.

 

“She was just saying things Cas, she doesn’t want the kids... she’s just trying to hold on to the last thing she has of Mike,” said Dean.

 

“I know, but like you said, knowing that legally they’re ours will make me feel safer,” said Cas.

 

“So… how are we gonna have the meeting?” asked Dean.

 

“We were thinking maybe during Thanksgiving break? Sam and Jess will be here as well as my father,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah… though I don’t know it that would make thanksgiving a little sad,” said Dean.

 

“Sam said the same thing,” said Cas.

 

“Uncle Cas, when are we… oh, hi uncle Dean!” said Tegan walking into the kitchen.

 

“Hi kiddo, are you hungry?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah,” she said. She hugged Dean and kissed him on the cheek.

 

“We’re almost done feeding the twins. Did you wash your hands?” asked Dean. Tegan shook her head,

 

“Go wash them while I serve dinner,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” she turned around and ran towards the bathroom under the stairs.

 

“Don’t run!” said Dean and Cas at the same time.

* * *

 

Dinner was uneventful. Tegan and Cas told Dean about their afternoon and Dean told them about the new car that arrived to the shop. They ate fillet mignon, pasta and a salad that Tegan helped to prepare.

 

“Dinner was amazing,” said Dean,

 

“I’m glad you liked it,” said Cas.

 

“Can I watch some TV?” asked Tegan.

 

“Just for 30 minutes Tegan, you still need to take a bath,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” she said, she stood up, placed her dishes in the sink and then went upstairs.

 

“Jesus, it’s almost 7… I’m going to hurry up with the dishes so we can bathe the twins,” said Cas standing up and walking straight to the sink.

 

“Cas,” said Dean following him, “you’ve done a lot today babe, let me take care of that,” said Dean.

 

“It’s fine,” said Cas.

 

“No, I want you to leave that there, we’re gonna go upstairs, give the twins a bath, put them to bed and then you’re gonna relax in your studio while I help Tegs to take her bath, then I’m gonna wash the dishes and then I’ll come look for you so we can read her bedtime story to Tegan,” said Dean getting closer to his husband.

 

“Dean, are you sure? I’m not tired,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, because it’s only Monday but I’m pretty sure in a couple of days you’ll be thanking me for this routine… I don’t care, really Cas. You’re staying home with the kids but that doesn’t mean that you have to do all the stuff around the house… you’re gonna spoil us and I want you to go back to your work eventually,” Dean started playing with Cas’ hair.

 

“I don’t…” Cas was having trouble concentrating with Dean so close to him,

 

“I’m not saying you gotta go back to Kraken but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go back on tour with your dad next year or go back to writing,” said Dean, he placed a kiss under Cas’ jawline, “the point here babe is that I don’t want you to think that you have to do everything around here, I’m here to help,”

 

“You’re just trying to distract me with your stupid low voice and your kisses,” said Cas chuckling.

 

“Yes, I am… now c’mon let’s get these two clean,” said Dean turning around and pointing at the twins. He grabbed Leonard and kissed his nose, “You have pasta in your hair, how the hell did that happen mister?” asked Dean smiling.

 

Cas smiled at his husband and carried Alan,

 

“I guess it’s bath time,” said Cas to the little boy.

* * *

 

Dean turned off the light in Alan’s room and then they left.

 

“Wow, they really were tired,” said Dean closing the door behind him.

 

“I know, I guess I’ll let them run and play with the dog more often,” said Cas smiling.

 

Tegan was in the TV room giggling at her cartoons,

 

“Tegs… you’ve already watched TV for more than half an hour kiddo, it’s bath time,” said Dean.

 

She nodded and turned off the TV,

 

“Okay,” replied Tegan. She stood up from the couch and went to her room,

 

“I’ll be there in a minute sweetheart, get your pajamas ready,” said Dean.

 

“Dean, I don’t mind helping you, really,” said Cas.

 

“Dude, drop it,” said Dean chuckling, “I’m gonna help Tegan and you’re going to relax a little, okay?” said Dean.

 

“You’re probably right, I could at least finish the book I started reading a month ago,” said Cas.

 

“See? Go and reed your book, I’ll let you know when Tegan’s ready for her bedtime story,” said Dean.

 

“Thanks Dean,” said Cas. He kissed Dean softly on the lips and then retired to his studio.

* * *

 

 

At first he didn’t know what to do. He wasn’t tired, at least not physically. He looked at his piano and for a moment he thought about playing a little but he didn’t want to wake up the kids with the sound. He had a few drawings he wanted to finish but he wasn’t in the mood for that… he knew he would only have around 45 for himself and he knew once inspiration hit he wouldn’t be able to stop drawing until he finished,

 

“I guess now that I have kids, staying up until 4 am reading or drawing wouldn’t be wise,” he said to himself.

 

He did have a book he wanted to finish; if he remembered right, he only had 46 pages to finish the book, which was about half an hour of reading. He grabbed the book from his desk and then climbed the stairs of his studio to go to the bed next to the huge window. He loved the room; it was like a slice of heaven.

 

His book was a selection of H.P Lovecraft tales of horror that he had already read a couple of times. He sat on his bed and started reading.

* * *

 

Cas had just finished his book when Dean knocked on the door,

 

“Come in,” said Cas.

 

“Hey babe, Tegan is ready for her bedtime story… also, I need to learn how to do that thing with her hair,” said Dean.

 

“Braiding it?” asked Cas getting out of his bed.

 

“Yeah, I dried it with the hair dryer thing but she kept making the same face you make when you touch cardboard,” said Dean.

 

“Did she say anything?” asked Cas laughing.

 

“Next time we play to the beauty salon you should play with us so uncle Cas can teach you everything he knows,” replied Dean trying to imitate Tegan’s voice.

 

“I don’t know how to feel about that,” said Cas.

 

“Me neither,” answered Dean.

 

“C’mon let’s teach you how to braid her hair before bed,” said Cas taking his husband’s hand. Dean sighed and followed Cas.

* * *

 

After braiding Tegan’s hair (She decided Dean would have to take a couple of classes from Cas before he could try to do something with her hair), Cas read her a bedtime story and then they kissed her goodnight.

 

“I know it’s psychological but every time we put the kids to sleep I kinda feel like I should go to bed too,” said Dean closing Tegan’s door behind him.

 

“I know what you mean,” said Cas, “But we’re grown ups, the kids are asleep and it’s still early,” said Cas.

 

“You’re right, and as grown ups without kids around we should do the wisest thing…” suggested Dean.

 

“Watching cartoons?” asked Cas.

 

“You always know what I’m thinking,” said Dean winking at him. Cas smiled.

 

“I’m in the mood for some Bob’s burgers, what do you say?” said Cas.

 

“Sounds great, I’m just gonna take a shower really quick and I’ll be right back,” said Dean.

 

“Okay… oh, did you check the locks and set the alarm system?” asked Cas about to sit on the couch.

 

“No, I forgot… I’ll do it right now,” said Dean turning around.

 

“No, I’ll do it; you go take your shower while I do that,” said Cas.

 

“Cool,” Dean kissed him on the cheek and then walked towards their bedroom.

* * *

“I love this show so much,” said Dean laughing.

 

“I know, I never get tired of it,” said Cas. They were cuddling in the big sofa wrapped in a blanket.

 

“Wanna watch another episode?” asked Dean. They had been watching TV for about an hour.

 

“We should probably go to bed… we need to be up a little earlier tomorrow, remember?” asked Cas.

 

“Yeah, Doctor Norton’s appointment,” They stayed there comfortably for antoher minute; they were warm and happy but they knew sleeping on the couch wasn’t a good idea.

 

“Let’s go,” said Cas throwing the blanket to the other side of the couch, “we need to get up,” Dean nodded and then stood up to follow his husband to their bedroom.

* * *

 

“Hey, Cas,” said Dean while they were cuddling in bed,

 

“Yes?” Asked Cas,

 

“What are you doing this Friday?” asked Dean,

 

“I don’t have plans yet, why?” asked Cas,

 

“Wanna go on a date with me?” asked Dean.

 

“Really?” asked Cas; he turned around to look at his husband’s face,

 

“Yeah, I mean… it’s been a while since we went on a romantic date and I think we deserve it. I don’t want to feel like everything in this house revolves around the kids now; I love them, don’t get me wrong. But I love you too and I feel like we need this,” said Dean. He was afraid he was sounding a little selfish.

 

“It sounds nice, maybe we could add that to our routine. Date night at least once a month,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Great… now we just need to find a babysitter,” said Dean. He placed a soft kiss on Cas’ forehead.

 

“I’ll ask Charlie and Gabe tomorrow,” whispered Cas.

 

“You think we should hire like a real babysitter, like a nanny to help us sometimes?” asked Dean.

 

“I think we’ll have to do it eventually, yes… but for the moment we need the kids to get used to us and to their new lives first,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Dean, “good night babe,”

 

“Good night Dean,” replied Castiel.

* * *

November 8th

 

“C’mon Tegs, we gotta hurry up kiddo,” yelled Dean from the kitchen.

 

“Coming!” yelled Tegan back.

 

“The boys ready?” asked Dean to Cas who was putting some toys in the baby bag.

 

“Yes, I just need to grab their jackets and they’ll be ready to go,” said Cas.

 

Tegan walked into the kitchen putting a purple beanie on her head,

 

“Sorry, I spilled toothpaste in my shirt and I had to change my clothes,” she said.

 

“It’s okay sweetie, we’re all ready to go,” said Dean.

 

“I thought only you would take me to school,” she said confused.

 

“That’s the plan but today Cas needs me to drop him at a friend’s… I’ll drive him right after we leave you at school,” said Dean.

 

“Okay,” said Tegan.

* * *

 

They were on their way to school, driving in a comfortable silence when Tegan noticed something,

 

“Uncle Cas… why don’t you drive? We have 2 cars now. You don’t know how to?” She asked with curiosity. Cas took a deep breath and looked at Dean before turning around to answer,

 

“No, I do… I know how to- I umm,” he didn’t know if he should tell the truth to Tegan.

 

“Cas, you don’t have to,” said Dean.

 

“No, it’s okay… it’s not a big deal. Tegan, a few years ago I was in a car accident. It wasn’t that bad but I ended up in the hospital and after that I got scared of driving again. I know how to do it but I don’t want to, it makes me feel uncomfortable… maybe one day I’ll try it again,” said Cas.

 

“I don’t remember that,” she said.

 

“It was like 3 years before you were born… we had just moved back to Sioux Falls from California,” said Cas.

 

“But you’re okay now, right?” she asked,

 

“Yes sweetheart,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Mommy said I could sleep with the night light for as long as I need it; she said one day I won’t be scared anymore… that will happen to you too,” said Tegan.

 

“Your mom was a wise woman Teg and it seems like you’re going to be as wise as her,” said Cas. Tegan smiled widely.

* * *

 

After dropping Tegan at the school they drove to Dr. Norton’s office.

 

“It was nice of you to tell her about the driving thing,” said Dean.

 

“We’re already hiding my Asperger’s and the fact that Alan is in the spectrum, I don’t think we should keep more things from her… I want her to trust us,” said Cas.

 

“You’re right,” said Dean.

 

They parked outside the doctor’s office and took the kids out of the car.

* * *

 

“How are you guys doing?” asked Doctor Norton when Cas and Dean sat on the comfortable beanbags in her office.

 

Cas sat Alan next to Leonard in the mat and then handed him one of his toys.

 

“We’re doing fine,” said Cas.

 

“The kids look happy, I’m pretty sure you’re making a good job Castiel,” said Dr. Norton.

 

“We’re trying… we’re learning and we’re still sad about my brother and Jill but we’re doing what we can,” said Cas.

 

“That’s what’s important Castiel, that you guys are trying,” she said.

 

“Gotta admit the kids are a good distraction from getting sad, we don’t have time to stay in bed feeling miserable,” said Dean.

 

“Grief is part of the process Dean,” she said.

 

“I mean, we’re sad… sometimes I still think this is just a dream, you know? But we have to move on,” said Dean.

 

“I understand what you mean,” said the doctor.

 

“I know you’re interested in our mental health but we’re here today to talk about Alan,” said Cas.

 

“Always straight to the point Castiel,” she said with a smile.

 

“You know me,” he answered.

 

“Well, Dean told me on the phone that Al had a meltdown,” said Dr. Norton,

 

“It was… I hadn’t seen something like that in a while; I know I used to have those when I was a child but I guess Naomi trained me to have them in a discrete way and to be ashamed of them,” said Cas.

“But Alan is just a baby so he doesn’t know what to do, he let the meltdown take control, I assume,” she said.

 

“He hit Cas… and I was afraid he could hurt himself. He- he wasn’t our little boy, his eyes… he wasn’t here, he wasn’t in control and he looked so scared and upset,” said Dean.

 

“What triggered it?” she asked taking notes.

 

“I did,” said Cas.

 

“Care to elaborate?” she asked.

 

“Don’t blame yourself Cas, you were only doing the right thing,” said Dean.

 

Cas took a deep breath and then started telling what had happened. Doctor Norton listened with attention and didn’t interrupt.

 

“… And eventually he fell asleep, Dean took him to bed and then it was my time to have a meltdown of course,” said Cas.

 

“I don’t think it was just the socks, you know? He’s been through so much lately… a lot of changes, new routines… a completely different life. I think it was only the last straw. It could have been the food or a t-shirt or a sound… it just happened to be the socks,” said Dean.

 

“I agree with you, I’m actually surprised he lasted that long without reacting like that. You guys feel weird with all the changes; Castiel I’m pretty sure you’ve been extra tired lately so just imagine what it’s like for a little kid,” she said.

 

“My… well, Naomi wasn’t exactly good at dealing with my meltdowns. From a short age I was taught that it was wrong to act like that and that I was to have my “tantrums” in private… I was taught that I was just a spoiled brat that wanted to have everything his way,” said Cas.

 

“I’m aware of that… Naomi is a pretty peculiar lady,” said Dr. Norton.

 

“The point is, I don’t want that for Alan… I want our home to be a place where he can feel free to be who he is. I understand that society has norms and we have to follow them out there… but I want him to feel safe at home, to be comfortable and to understand that he can be himself when he’s home… that’s what I would’ve loved growing up,” he explained.

 

“I think that’s a key for his development Castiel, he needs to feel safe. He’s going to learn that eventually but he also needs to identify his triggers and to trust you enough to let you know when something’s wrong,” she said.

 

“But he’s just a baby,” said Dean looking at Alan.

 

“You have a rough path ahead, I’m not going to lie… luckily he’s a smart little guy but it’s going to take him a while to understand his situation and it’s gonna take us a while to get a diagnosis,” she said.

 

“So what do we do in the meantime?” said Dean,

 

“Try to make life easy for him, if he doesn’t like to wear socks then make him wear onesies inside the house or his boots all the time,” she said.

 

“That’s actually brilliant,” said Dean.

 

“I just want him to be happy and comfortable, I don’t care if he wears onesies and boots the whole year,” said Cas.

 

“You also need to be prepared for what other people might say,” said the doctor.

 

“I don’t care what other people think, as long as Alan is happy and healthy they can say we’re the worst parents in the world, I don’t care,” said Dean.

 

“Good, as long as you think like that, everything’s going to be fine… you’re lucky. You already know a lot about the spectrum and what it’s like to live with it and with someone in it,” said Doctor Norton.

 

“Yeah, that’s actually a great start,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, so I also want to talk about you Castiel, I want to know how you’re taking things and about your mental health,” she said.

 

“Okay,” said Cas.

 

“But before we move to that, do you have any more questions about Alan?” Dean cleared his throat and grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket.

 

“I made a list,” he said awkwardly.

 

Doctor Norton chuckled.

* * *

 

Cas passed the bowl with salad to Charlie. They were at his kitchen getting everything ready for dinner since it was a Tuesday.

 

“It was actually great, I think I needed to see doctor Norton more than I imagined,” he said. He had been telling Dorothy and Charlie about his day.

 

“I’m really happy for you Cas,” said Charlie. Dorothy was marinating asparagus and turkey breasts while they talked.

 

“She gave you a huge list of books,” said Dorothy.

 

“Yes, she says Jill had most of them, so tomorrow I’m going to spend the morning looking through Jill’s stuff in the storage room,” said Cas.

 

“She was really working on helping Al,” said Charlie.

 

“She was such an amazing mom,” said Dorothy.

 

“Yes… she set such a good example for us,” added Cas.

 

Tegan joined them in the kitchen followed by Nik.

 

“I think he wants to go to the bathroom,” she said.

 

“Oh, take him to the backyard please,” said Cas.

 

“I can’t, you put those weird locks on the doors, remember?” asked Tegan.

 

“Shoot… I keep forgetting about it,” said Cas. He used his apron to wipe his hands and then followed Tegan to the living room to open the crystal door that led to the backyard.

* * *

 

When Dean walked into the kitchen he only found Cas and Charlie.

 

“Hi guys, thought Dorothy would be here too,” he kissed Cas on the lips and then hugged Charlie.

 

“She’s in the backyard helping Tegan wash her sneakers,” said Charlie,

 

“Okay… that doesn’t sound random at all,” said Dean.

 

“Tegan took Nikola Tesla out to do his thing, she was trying to see if he was finished and she stepped on his feces,” said Cas. Dean snorted.

 

“Please tell me she noticed before walking into the house,” said Dean.

 

“We’re burning the mat we kept on the terrace,” said Cas with a serious expression.

 

“That bad?” asked Dean.

 

“Don’t tell her anything, she almost cried. Luckily Dorothy had a lot of stories about incidents like that from her ranch,” said Cas.

 

“Okay,” said Dean.

 

“Anything else apart from that?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah, Gabe is helping me babysit on Friday, we just called him. You two lovebirds can go have your romantic dinner and then Cas can fu…reaking take you to the park,” said Charlie smiling.

 

“Thanks,” said Dean sticking out his tongue.

 

“You’re welcome,” she said with a smile.

 

“Emergency under control,” said Dorothy walking into the kitchen.

 

“Please tell me you washed your hands,” said Dean.

 

“Like 3 times… and I sent Tegs upstairs to change her clothes and wash her hands too,” said Dorothy rolling her eyes.

 

“Cool, thanks for that,” said Dean.

 

“Dinner is ready… hope you’re still hungry,” said Cas to Dorothy.

 

“Man, I spend half of my week living in a ranch and my pet is literally a little pig… I’m fine,” said Dorothy laughing.

* * *

 

Charlie and Dorothy didn’t stay for long. They didn’t want to mess with the kids’ schedules. They said goodbye and after that Cas helped Tegan with her bath while Dean cleaned the kitchen.

 

“I’m sorry about your mat,” said Tegan once they were reading her a bedtime story.

 

“Don’t worry about it Tegan… I have been meaning to change it for a while anyway,” said Cas smiling.

 

“You’re not mad?” she asked.

 

“Of course not sweetheart, it was an accident,” said Cas.

 

“We’re cool Tegs, really,” said Dean.

 

“I’ll ask Santa for a new mat to replace the one I ruined,” she said yawning.

 

“Deal,” said Dean winking at her.

 

“Do you want me to keep reading?” asked Cas.

 

“Yes please,” she said with another yawn. 5 minutes later she was sound asleep.

* * *

 

By the time they were ready for bed Dean was practically falling asleep standing.

 

“Man, I can’t wait for the weekend… I want to be lazy with my family and wear pajamas until noon,” said Dean.

 

“Sounds great,” said Cas smiling.

 

“But first, of course, I want to go on a date with my hot husband, have pizza, go for dessert, just talk and be with each other…” said Dean.

 

“C’mon let’s sleep… that way time will pass faster,” said Cas.

 

“Such a scientist,” replied Dean playfully. Cas placed a soft kiss on his lips and then turned off the light.

* * *

 

November 11th

 

“I started dinner you just need to put the chicken in the oven,” said Cas to Charlie while they were in the kitchen. Charlie had Leonard in her arms.

 

“You didn’t have to, Gabe and I can cook dude,” said Charlie.

 

“I know, but you’re helping us a lot already,” said Cas. He was carrying Alan in his arms.

 

“We like to help, don’t worry… you guys need this,” said Charlie. Cas smiled and nodded.

 

They heard the main door closing and a few seconds later Gabriel walked into the kitchen,

  
“Hey little bro, what are you still doing here? I thought you had a romantic night planed with your man,” said Cas.

 

“I’m just waiting for Dean to be ready,” said Cas.

 

“Cool… where are you going tonight?” asked Gabe taking Alan from Cas’ arms.

 

“Giovanni’s pizza,” said Cas.

 

“Always with the creative choices,” said Gabe rolling his eyes.

 

“We love the place, it makes us feel like home,” said Cas.

 

“Cas, you here?” asked Dean joining them in the kitchen.

 

“Yes, are you ready?” asked Cas with a smile. Dean looked really handsome. Giovanni’s wasn’t a fancy place so he was wearing black jeans, a green Henley and black boots.

 

“Yeah, let’s just say goodnight to the kids and we’re ready to go,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, you’re such a dad,” said Gabe. Dean rolled his eyes and left the kitchen; a couple of seconds later they heard him yelling from the other room,

 

“Tegan! Pumpkin can you come downstairs? Cas and I are leaving!” he said.

 

Dean walked back into the kitchen followed by Tegan a minute later,

 

“You two look very handsome,” she said.

 

“Thanks,” said Cas.

 

“Gabe and Charlie are gonna stay here with you, be good okay?” said Dean.

 

“Okay… umm, are you staying the whole night?” she asked Charlie with excitement.

 

“Gabe’s leaving later but I’m staying here, I already left my stuff in the guest room,” said Charlie smiling.

 

“Awesome!” Tegan clapped, “why aren’t you staying uncle Gabe?” asked Tegan.

 

“I’m going to a midnight screening at the movies with Tish,” said Gabe.

 

“Are you watching a romantic movie?” asked Tegan,

 

“Nope, Tish loves scary movies actually,”

 

“Do you get scared?” asked Tegan,

 

“Sometimes,” said Gabe,

 

“You should buy a night light, that keeps monsters away,” she said with a serious expression.

 

“Hmm, I’ll add that to my Christmas list,” said Gabe. Tegan smiled.

 

“Okay guys, we gotta go,” said Dean. Tegan turned around and hugged him,

 

“Have fun,” she said,

 

“You too kiddo, take care of your uncle and your aunt, okay?” said Dean winking at her. She chuckled and winked back,

 

“See you tomorrow,” said Cas. Tegan hugged him and Cas placed a soft kiss on her cheek. She turned around and whispered something in his ear.

 

“What was that?” asked Dean,

 

“A secret,” said Cas smiling and nodding to Tegan.

 

“O… kay. C’mon mister mysterious, I’m starving,” he took Cas’ hand and they walked to the garage.

* * *

Giovanni’s pizza was actually really close to their house, that’s why they used to visit the place a lot when they were kids; only 15 minutes walking. This time though, they drove because it looked like it was going to rain.

 

“Too bad we had to drive, I would have enjoyed a walk with you,” said Cas looking at the sky,

 

“Tell you what… if it isn’t raining when we finish our dinner, we can drive to the park and walk a little, holding hands and pretending that we can see the stars and the moon, what do you say?” asked Dean,

 

“Sounds perfect,” said Cas smiling.

 

They arrived to Giovanni’s and their usual table was already waiting for them. Giovanni had placed a note over the table that said ‘reserved for the Winchesters’.

 

“I feel like it’s been ages since the last time we were here,” said Dean while helping Cas whit his coat.

 

“I know,” said Cas smiling.

 

They ordered their usual pizza and Cas actually added a salad to their order. They didn’t order wine this time though.

 

“Man, this pizza always makes me feel happy, like I could be having a crappy day but as soon as I have a slice of this beauty my day automatically gets better,” said Dean when the pizza arrived to their table.

 

“I remember when we were kids… when you didn’t know how to make me feel better you would bring me here,” said Cas smiling. Dean wiped his hand on a napkin and then held Cas’ hand.

 

“Remember the first time we came here by ourselves? I felt like a freaking adult taking control of the situation,” said Dean. Cas pulled Dean’s hand gently towards his lips and then kissed it a couple of times.

 

“Of course I remember love, we were ten years old, it was a Friday and you were wearing a blue t-shirt,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Sometimes I wish I could see inside your mind,” said Dean looking at Cas with only love in his eyes,

 

“Why?” asked Cas confused,

 

“Right now, for example… I know you’re replaying that memory in your mind and you can remember it exactly how it was; you can watch it like a movie… I wish I could watch it with you,” said Dean.

 

“It can be a curse sometimes, my eidetic memory… but in moments like this, I love it,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Tell me how you remember it,” whispered Dean, “I mean, of course I remember that day… but just pieces. I don’t- I don’t remember if it was hot or if you were wearing jeans or shorts. I don’t remember how we got here… did we walk or did we ride our bikes? But I remember we stayed here for a long time… Bobby picked us up,” said Dean.

 

“Do you want me to tell you just the pieces you don’t remember or do you want me to narrate the whole story?” asked Cas.

 

“The whole thing, you know how much I love listening to your voice,” said Dean. Cas smiled and took a sip from his water before talking.

 

_It was a summer afternoon. It was a Friday and the weather outside was hot but he needed to get out of his house before Naomi came back._

_He knocked on Bobby’s door and waited. Always keeping an eye on his house._

_“Cas? Is it four already?” asked Dean when he opened the door. He was wearing a blue t-shirt, jeans and he wasn’t wearing socks._

_“Hello Dean, no it is 2:37 pm,” said Cas looking at his watch,_

_“Everything okay? You’re sweating,” said Dean, “and shaking… Cas, what happened?” asked Dean worried. Cas’ gray t-shirt was damp with sweat._

_“I had an argument with my mother,” said Cas._

_“Come on, it’s really hot out here,” said Dean opening the door wide to let Cas in._

_Once they were in the living room, Dean handed Cas a glass of water and sat next to him,_

_“What happened?”_

_“She volunteered me to be an altar boy on Sundays,” said Cas._

_“She what”? Asked Dean._

_“She says it’s a huge honor and a way for me to learn to socialize and meet more people… I already know everyone in church, I don't need to be an altar boy,” said Cas feeling miserable._

_“That sucks, what happened?” asked Dean._

_“I really need to learn how to tell lies,” said Cas,_

_“Oh my god… what did you tell her?” asked Dean,_

_“I already hate Sundays thanks to Sunday school and mass… you don’t need to keep trying to find ways to make me hate it even more,” said Cas._

_“Oh man,” said Dean covering his face._

_“I screwed up,” said Cas. He had been using a lot of Dean’s words lately… Naomi would kill him if she heard him talk like that._

_“Did she ground you?” asked Dean worried. They had so many plans for summer._

_“She… she went to church to sign me up for summer camp… catholic summer camp,” said Cas._

_“You gotta be kidding me,” said Dean. Cas shook his head and his eyes suddenly turned teary,_

_“I’m sorry I ruined our summer,” he said, his voice breaking._

_“No, Cas… you didn’t ruin it,” said Dean._

_“I need to run away,” said Cas wiping his tears with the back of his hand._

_“What?”_

_“I’ll run away, just for the summer,” said Cas shaking._

_“And where are you gonna go? Think about your dad!” said Dean._

_“I don’t want to go to summer camp!” said Cas._

_“Maybe if you apologize to your mom… tell her you’re sorry and that you’ll be an altar boy the whole summer instead,” said Dean._

_“That sucks too!” said Cas._

_“Yeah well, at least it’s only once a week and not the whole summer!” said Dean._

_“She can’t make me go to the stupid camp! Dad doesn’t even know that she's making me go and he won’t be back until next Monday,” said Cas._

_“Can’t we call him? Didn’t he leave a phone number or a fax or something?” asked Dean._

_“Yes, but he left all that information to my mom,” said Cas with desperation._

 

_“Shit,” said Dean, “What did your mom say exactly?”_

_“This is a catholic home Castiel and it is my duty as a catholic and a mother to make sure that you learn the word of our god… I have a meeting with my bible group in half an hour. I’m going to talk to Father Jones and I’m signing you up for summer camp… I don’t care what your father says; you need to learn to love your god and to respect my decisions. You need to make friends; this is a great opportunity Castiel,”_

_“We can’t run away… but we need to get out of the house, she’ll know you’re here,” said Dean._

_“Where are we going to go?” asked Cas._

_“I know exactly where we’re going,” said Dean. He stood up and grabbed the phone; he pressed a few buttons and then waited,_

_“Hi Rufus, it’s Dean… is Bobby around?” he asked, “no, it’s not an emergency I can leave a message if he’s busy,” Cas waited in silence looking at his friend._

_“Bobby? Hi… No, I’m fine, I promise… Cas had a fight with his mom, he’s a little upset and… no, no meltdown but he’s kinda scared. She wants to send' him to the church summer camp… no, of course Chuck doesn’t know, he’s still in Texas,” Dean seemed calm, it was obvious that Bobby was trying to help him._

_“She left to church but Cas doesn’t want to go to his house right now, he’s scared… I was thinking, can we go to Giovanni’s? We’ll walk on the sidewalk and we won’t talk to strangers and we’ll take care of each other… no, I have money, don’t worry. Thanks Bobby, you’re the best,” he hanged up and turned around to face Cas._

_“Bobby says we can go; we’ll spend the rest of the afternoon there and he’ll pick us up when he leaves the garage,” said Dean._

_“Thanks a lot Dean,” said Cas smiling._

_“Let’s stop at your house first, you need to change your shirt dude, you look like you went for a swim and forgot to take it off,” said Dean._

_“I was nervous and the weather is not helping,” said Cas. Dean snorted._

_“C’mon let’s hurry up before your mom shows up,” Dean ran upstairs to grab money from the box he kept under his bed and then they left to Chuck’s._

_“I’ll leave her a note… she’ll probably figure out that I’m with you but just so she doesn’t get even more upset,” said Cas once he had changed his t-shirt for a blue one._

_“Don’t tell her where we are, just write that you’re with me at the mall or something,” said Dean._

_‘Mother, I went to the mall with Dean.’_

_He attached the note to the fridge with a magnet and then they left. They walked cautiously and always close to each other. They had played outside a lot of times on their own and even gone to the movies without adults but this time, it was different, they were free, they had money and they wanted pizza._

_Apparently Bobby had called Giovanni before they arrived because the staff was waiting for them. They had a great time… even though Cas was freaking out about what had happened with his mom, he still managed to enjoy their time at Giovanni’s._

_It was weird, they had the table for themselves and they kept talking about random stuff and laughing._

_Around 7, Bobby showed up._

_“I talked to your mother, she was under the impression that you two were at the movies,” said Bobby._

_“We didn’t want her to know we were here… Bobby I don’t want to go to summer camp,” said Cas._

_“Is it that bad Cas?” asked Bobby._

_“The kids in Sunday school say it’s super boring… you have to pray and talk about god and Jesus and the saints the whole day. It’s like going to Sundays school but the whole summer,” said Cas._

_“Not a big fan of church, are you?” asked Bobby laughing._

_“I have nothing against people’s faith… I just don’t like that my mom and Father Jones are always trying to tell us what to think or what to believe,” said Cas._

_“You really are something else,” said Bobby._

_“Did my mother say what's going to happen?” asked Cas._

_“You leave on Sunday,” said Bobby with a sad expression. Cas nodded. Dean cursed._

_“She wants me to make friends and the kids from church don’t like me… they say I’m weird,” said Cas._

_“They’re assholes,” said Dean._

_“Son,” said Bobby._

_“Sorry Bobby, but they are,” said Dean clearly upset._

_“You’re still going to have a great summer Dean… you have Sam and Gabriel. Bobby can still drive you to the lake,” said Cas in resignation. Dean wanted to complain but he realized that Cas was about to start crying._

_“I’ll write you all the time, okay?” said Dean._

_“Thanks,” said Cas._

_“C’mon son, I told your mom you would be home by 8,” said Bobby ruffling his hair._

_“Bobby, can you do me a favor?” asked Cas._

_“Anything,” said Bobby._

_“Can I leave a note for my father with you?” asked Cas._

_“Sure thing kiddo,” said Bobby._

_The drive back home was quiet and sad._

 

“You were really smart by leaving that note to your dad,” said Dean once Cas finished talking.

 

“I knew Naomi would tell him that I went to summer camp because I wanted to… she would tell him a story about how I wanted to make friends or something like that; I couldn’t ask Bobby or you to tell him the truth, I didn’t want you to get in trouble with my mother… but I knew if I wrote that note, my dad would understand me and help me come back,” said Cas.

 

“I cried for like 3 days straight after you left,” said Dean after grabbing another slice of pizza.

 

“Really? You never told me that,” said Cas.

 

“I think only Bobby knew,” said Dean.

 

“Luckily I only stayed there for a week; the happiest moment of that camp was when I saw my dad getting out of Father Jones’ office to tell me that I would go back home with him,” said Cas.

 

“That was a great summer,” said Dean.

 

“And I was altar boy every single Sunday,” said Cas rolling his eyes.

 

“Better than camp at least,” said Dean.

 

“Better than camp,” added Cas.

 

They kept talking and remembering moment from their childhood for a while. They talked about nothing and everything and for a moment, it was only them… just them in their little bubble.

 

“It was great to have a night just the two of us,” said Cas when they were leaving the restaurant. Giovanni had given them free dessert and they were full and happy.

 

“I know, I loved it,” said Dean, “but it kinda felt weird not having the kids around,”

 

“We’ve only had them for like a couple of weeks and I already can’t imagine my routine without them… that’s crazy,” said Cas.

 

“It’s like falling in love in the second date,” said Dean holding Cas’ hand and walking towards the car.

 

“I wouldn’t know, I was already in love with you by the time we had our first date,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Well… it’s kinda what happened with the kids… we already loved them when they moved in with us; it wasn’t a big effort to make them part of our daily lives,” said Dean.

 

“Yes… I just hope they’re happy too,” said Cas.

 

"Yeah," said Dean. Cas got into the car and waited for Dean to do the same.

 

“Well, it’s not raining yet… wanna go for a romantic walk at the park?” asked Dean.

 

“Sounds perfect,” said Cas with a huge smile.

 

 

* * *

The walk in the park was nice. They saw a few other couples walking and holding hands.

 

“In an alternate universe… I came out of the closet when I was younger. Do you think we’re still together in that universe?” asked Cas.

 

“Cas, we’re together in every single freaking possible universe. Even if we’re dogs or weird creatures or if we’re girls… we’re together and we love each other with all our hearts,” answered Dean.

 

“You make me question the logics of the multiverse theory,” said Cas.

 

“Is that like nerdy sexy talk?” asked Dean chuckling.

 

“No, I was merely stating a fact,” said Cas.

 

“Dork,” said Dean smiling. A few drops stained Cas’ glasses.

 

“It’s raining,” said Cas.

 

“We should go back to the car,” said Dean. Cas nodded and they turned around and walked back to the parking lot.

* * *

 

Charlie was drying the dishes from dinner when she heard the garage door being opened.

 

“You came back early,” said Charlie when she heard steps behind her.

 

“Rain messed with our plans,” said Dean. Charlie turned around and noticed that her friends were soaking wet.

 

“Did you have dinner under the rain?” she asked.

 

“Nah, we went for a romantic walk in the part and we didn’t make it back to the car in time,” said Dean.

 

“At least we shared a romantic kiss under the rain,” said Cas with a shrug.

 

“It was worth it, then,” said Charlie.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean.

 

“You should get rid of those clothes and take a warm bath guys,” said Charlie.

 

“That’s the plan… the romantic night is not over yet,” said Dean.

 

“Well, I’m gonna hit the hay guys. The kids were great but I’ll tell you everything about our evening tomorrow, okay? Now, go upstairs and be romantic and sexy and stuff,” she said softly pushing Cas.

 

“Thanks Charlie,” said Cas.

 

“I took the baby monitors with me so don’t worry about the kids tonight, okay?”

 

“Thanks Charlie, we owe you one,” said Dean.

 

"Yeah, you do... now take off those freaking clothes I'll put them in the dryer," she said. Cas undressed first, leaving only his boxer briefs on. Dean followed his example.

 

"Okay, you're ready to go, have fun," she said winking at them.

 

* * *

“Sometimes I think we went too far by adding a Jacuzzi to our bathroom while we already have one outside,” said Dean, “then we have moments like this and I think it’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever taken,” they were inside their Jacuzzi sharing a warm bubble bath.

 

“Amen,” said Cas.

 

“I had a great time today Cas,” said Dean.

 

“Me too,” said Cas with his eyes closed.

 

“Are you falling asleep?” asked Dean.

 

“No, I’m just very relaxed… if I’m going to fall asleep tonight it is going to be of fatigue from all the sex I’m going to have with my husband,” answered Cas with a smirk.

 

“Okay, bath time is over… bed, NOW!” said Dean standing up. Cas laughed and stood up too. He grabbed the towel his husband handed him and then followed him out of the bathroom.

* * *

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that was it. Hope you liked it, I promise it won't take me long to upload the next one, probably a week.  
> Have a nice week guys!


	26. Allergic reaction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Bobby keep working on expanding their business, Charlie is an amazing friend and Cas has to face his first family emergency on his own.
> 
> Some angst, some fluff and a lot of love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm back... sorry it took me longer than I expected to post again but I had a couple of hard weeks dealing with depression and then the fact that the freaking cheeto with a wig won the election made me feel even sadder. Anyway, I know life goes on, we have to keep fighting and doing what we love to make this world a better place so... here it is, a new chapter.

* * *

 

November 21st

 

“How was school today pumpkin?” asked Dean. He had just picked Tegan from school and she was sitting on the backseat of the impala playing with a little paper turkey she had made at school.

 

“It was great, we made paper turkeys and we learned a song and Miss. Milton says we’re gonna have a special project for thanksgiving,” said Tegan.

 

“What? Like homework during vacations, that doesn’t seem fair,” said Dean.

 

“No… well kinda. She says we have to make a collage or a drawing of our thanksgiving dinner with our family and friends,” she told Dean.

 

“Oh, well that sounds great actually. Cas has a lot of material, paper, colors and all that stuff to help you with your homework,” said Dean.

 

“Not a homework,” said Tegan,

 

“Sorry, project,” said Dean chuckling.

* * *

 

When Dean and Tegan walked into the kitchen they found Cas talking to Alan and Leonard.

 

“… And then I added some salt and turned off the stove. It’s pretty easy actually... Though if you leave them for a long time the texture gets weird so I would only recommend 5 minutes tops after the water boils,” said Cas to the boys. The kids were listening carefully.

 

“Giving them cooking classes?” asked Dean.

 

“I’m just trying to enlarge their vocabulary,” said Cas laughing.

 

“Is it working?” asked Dean.

 

“Not really, but at least now they know how to cook steamed vegetables,” said Cas. Dean smiled and then ruffled Tegan’s hair.

 

“C’mon sweetie, let’s go wash our hands,” he said.

* * *

 

 

Lunch was uneventful. Tegan told Cas about her project for thanksgiving.

 

“Sounds great, maybe you could mix pictures and drawings,” said Cas.

 

“And glitter,” said Tegan.

 

“Of course, that’s basic,” said Cas laughing.

 

Dean’s phone went off in that moment.

 

“That’s weird… why is Bobby calling me? He knows I’ll be back from lunch in like 20 minutes,” said Dean. He answered the phone.

 

“Hey Bobby, everything fine?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah son, sorry to bother you during lunchtime but I just hanged up with the realtor in Pierre… he found the perfect place and the owner likes us. He has a lot of folks interested in getting the place… I’m not gonna lie kid, the place is perfect. Good location, big enough and in great conditions,” said Bobby.

 

“Sounds great, when can we see it?” asked Dean.

 

“That’s the thing… the owner says he likes our garage and that it would be great to have one in Pierre so that’s a plus … but we’re not the only ones with an eye in the place. The realtor says we can arrange a meeting tomorrow and if we like it we would be signing the papers by next week,” said Bobby.

 

“But, tomorrow? I mean the place sounds great but I can’t just leave like that man,” said Dean.

 

“I know kid but the guy already has a meeting with another client on Wednesday… if we don’t hurry up we could lose the place,” said Bobby.

 

“Crap… I need to talk about this with Cas,” answered Dean, “I can’t just leave like that… we have to plan the day and move our schedules,”

 

“Tegan, sweetheart… can you go upstairs to play? I need to talk to Dean,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah,” she said. She stood up and after grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl she left the kitchen.

 

“Hey, Bobby… I’ll put you on speaker… wait a minute,” said Dean. He placed the phone over the table and pressed the speaker option,

 

“Hello Bobby,” said Cas.

 

“Hi Cas, how’s it going?” asked Bobby.

 

“Good,” said Cas.

 

“Hey, son… I was telling Dean; the realtor found this great place in Pierre for the new garage, the location is perfect and the place is huge,” said Bobby.

 

“Sounds great,” said Cas.

 

“The thing is, we’re not the only ones interested in the place… and we need to hurry up if we want to be the ones that get it,” explained the old man.

 

“Okay,” said Cas.

 

“The owner can see us tomorrow and show us the place. That would give us an advantage over the other clients and if we like it we could close the deal by next week,”

 

“I see… and at what time do you need to be there?” asked Cas.

 

“By 1 pm,” said Bobby.

 

“Bobby, I need to pick Tegan from school at that hour,” said Dean.

 

“Dean… this is important too, okay? I can manage… I could ask Jody, Charlie or Gabe to help me,” said Cas.

 

“Sorry, Jody can’t help, she left yesterday to her police convention thing in Missouri,” said Bobby.

 

“Oh, right,” said Cas, “well, I’ll call Charlie or Dorothy or Gabe… don’t worry Dean,” said Cas.

 

“What if no one can?” asked Dean.

 

“Then I’ll go pick her up in a cab or i'll take the bus,” said Cas.

 

“I don’t know… I don’t want you to feel like I’m leaving you with a lot to deal with,” said Dean.

 

“Dean, I can do this… it would be like a regular day. You’ll go to work and come back in time for dinner. The only difference will be that you won’t join us for lunch,” said Cas.

 

“He has a point son,” said Bobby.

 

“I don’t know,” said Dean.

 

“Dean, the business is important for this whole family, if the realtor thinks this place is the right one then you need to go and see it. We said being parents wouldn’t interfere with our lives,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, I’ll do it… but we gotta be back in time for dinner, okay?” said Dean.

 

“Don worry son… besides, tomorrow is Charlie’s day isn’t it? She’ll spend the evening at your place and she can help Cas for a few hours,” said Bobby.

 

“Yeah, you’re right,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, I’ll call the realtor to let him know that we’re going,” said Bobby.

 

“Fine… see you later,” said Dean.

 

“Bye guys, sorry for interrupting your lunch,” said Bobby.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” said Cas.

 

Dean finished the call and took a swig from his drink,

 

“Thanks Cas,” he said.

 

“Dean, it’s not a big deal. I’ll call Charlie later, okay?” said Cas.

 

“I really hope this place is the one, I would hate to have to leave again to see more places,” said Dean.

 

“Please only say yes if you like it, okay? Don’t take a rushed decision because you feel bad for leaving,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, I promise,” said Dean.

 

“Good,” Cas finished his food and poured himself another glass of lemonade.

 

“Lunch was great babe,” said Dean.

 

“I’m glad you liked it,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Yeah, I did,” he looked at his watch, “crap, I gotta go,” he stood up and went upstairs to brush his teeth.

 

Cas cleaned the table and put what was left from lunch in the fridge.

 

“Seems like we’re going to have an interesting day tomorrow,” he told the twins.

* * *

 

Thanksgiving was around the corner. Cas already had 2 turkeys in the garage freezer and he was in the process of cleaning the guest room. Usually Sam and Jess got one of the rooms upstairs but now, the only free room they had was the one downstairs. He wondered if they would have to add more space to the house… maybe a guesthouse.

 

“Uncle Cas, are these the towels?” asked Tegan walking into the gest room carrying a couple of blue towels,

 

“Yes Tegan, thank you,” said Cas. Tegan sat on the bed and Cas went to the guest bathroom to leave the clean towels.

 

“I can’t wait to see aunt Jess and uncle Sammy,” said Tegan when Cas returned to the bedroom,

 

“Yes, I miss them too,” said Cas.

 

“When will the baby be here?” asked Tegan.

 

“Well… not until next year,” said Cas.

 

“That’s a lot of time,” said Tegan. Cas smiled.

 

“We need to help Jess when she’s here. She can’t carry heavy things and she needs a lot of rest, okay?” asked Cas.

 

“Did my mom have to rest a lot when I was in her belly?” asked Tegan.

 

“Yes, she loved to sleep,” said Cas.

 

“What else?” asked Tegan.

 

“Well, she was always craving strawberries and sometimes when women are pregnant they feel sick and have headaches and feel dizzy… but not your mom, she never complained and she always looked beautiful and happy,” said Cas.

 

“I miss her,” said Tegan.

 

“I miss her too Tegan, every day… I can’t even imagine what it’s like to you,” said Cas.

 

“Is thanksgiving gonna be sad?” asked Tegan,

 

“Probably a little but we’ll be together as a family and we’ll try to remember the happy moments and think about the good stuff happening to us,” said Cas.

 

“Like the baby, and grandpa Bobby marrying grandma Jody,” said Tegan.

 

“Yes,” said Cas. They finished getting the gest room ready and then they took a nap with the twins in Cas and Dean’s bed.

* * *

 

 

**\- Charlie, I need to ask you a favor.**

Once he woke up from his nap, Cas texted Charlie. 5 minutes later his phone started ringing,

 

“Hello Charlie,” said Cas,

 

“What’s up?” asked Charlie,

 

“Are you busy?” asked Cas,

 

“No, taking a little coffee break, what about you?” she asked,

 

“Just woke up from a nap with the kids,” said Cas yawning.

 

“That sounds amazing,” she replied,

 

“It was, even Nikola Tesla joined us,” said Cas.

 

“So, what did you want to ask?” asked Charlie.

 

“Oh, right… Dean has to leave town tomorrow. He’s going to see a property with Bobby, apparently it is the perfect place for the new garage,” said Cas.

 

“Sounds great, when does he leave? Want me to stay with you guys for the night?” asked Charlie,

 

“That won’t be necessary, he leaves tomorrow after dropping Tegan at school and he’ll be back on time for dinner,”

 

“Oh, so do you need me to get Tegan from school tomorrow then?” asked Charlie.

 

“Yes, that would be perfect. I’ll pay you with homemade lunch,” said Cas.

 

“I’m in,” said Charlie laughing, “Dinner is still on, right?” asked Charlie.

 

“Yes, it is a regular Tuesday, except you’ll have lunch here and you’ll get Tegan from school,” said Cas.

 

“Sounds great, just make sure you let the people at her school know that a random redhead is picking her up,” said Charlie.

 

“Oh, right… I’ll ask Dean to do that tomorrow when he drops her,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, well… gotta go, my little coffee break is over. See you tomorrow,” said Charlie.

 

“Thanks a lot Charlie, see you tomorrow,” replied Cas. Charlie hanged up and then Cas grabbed his notebook from the bedside table, he had been writing down a list of everything they would need for thanksgiving.

* * *

 

November 22nd

“Goodbye babe, I love you,” said Dean to Cas. Catiel gave him a chaste kiss on the lips and then handed him a paper bag.

 

“I packed some snacks for the road,” said Castiel.

 

“You’re the best; did I mention that I love you?” Asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, but I never get tired of hearing it,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Well, I love you,” said Dean. They heard Tegan running in the hallway to the garage,

 

“I’m ready,” she said.

 

“Great, let’s go,” said Dean.

 

“Goodbye uncle Cas, see you later,” said Tegan. She hugged Castiel and then followed Dean to the impala. Cas closed the garage and then went back to the kitchen.

 

“Okay kids, we’re going to the grocery store today,” announced Cas to the twins. Nik barked, “Well I promised you so yes, you’re coming too,” said Cas to his dog.

* * *

 

 

“Today I’ll walk you to your classroom, I need to tell your teacher that Charlie is picking you up this afternoon,” said Dean.

 

“Why?” asked Teg,

 

“Because right now only Cas and I have permission from the school to pick you up,” said Dean.

 

“Do they do that so a stranger doesn’t take me with them?” asked Tegan,

 

“Exactly… you know very well you can’t talk to strangers and that only a member of our family can pick you from school, right?” asked Dean.

 

“Yeah,” said the little girl.

 

“That’s my girl,” said Dean smiling.

* * *

 

 

Once they had parked, Dean helped Tegan out of the car. He locked the car and then took Teg’s hand,

 

“Let’s go,” he said.

 

They walked straight to Tegan’s classroom.

 

“Good morning Miss Milton,” said Dean,

 

“Oh, good morning Mister Winchester, Tegan,” he said.

 

“Hi,” said Tegan waving.

 

“Go leave your stuff in the back while I talk to your teacher kiddo,” said Dean. Tegan nodded and ran to the cubbies.

 

“Is there something wrong?” asked the teacher,

 

“No, everything’s fine… just wanted to let you know that today I won’t be able to pick up Tegan from school but her aunt will; I was just wondering if I need to let someone else know or…?”

 

“Oh, don’t worry. Just write down her information here,” she handed Dean a white piece of paper, “and I’ll tell the girls at the door… they’ll ask her for an ID and that’s it,” said Miss Milton,

 

“Perfect,” said Dean. He wrote down Charlie’s info and then handed the paper back to the teacher.

 

“That’ll be all,” she said.

 

“Okay, thanks,” he shook hands with the teacher, “Tegan, pumpkin… I’m leaving,” he said. Tegan was talking with some of her friends by the cubbies; she turned around and walked towards Dean,

 

“Have fun with grandpa Bobby,” said Tegan,

 

“I will kiddo, see you at dinner, okay?” he said. Tegan nodded and hugged him,

 

“I love you Tegs,” said Dean,

 

“Love you too,” said Tegan smiling. When he turned around he saw Julie, the little girl with blonde hair and purple glasses walking into the classroom,

 

“Hi Julie!” said Tegan with excitement,

 

“Tegan!” answered Julie. Dean smiled at the girls hugging and then saw Julie’s mom at the door.

 

“Bye Jules,” said her mom,

 

“Bye mom,” said Julie. Dean and Julie’s mom left the classroom at the same time. She was tall, her hair was short and it was the same color as Julie’s. She was wearing sports clothes and she looked relaxed, like she had all the time in the world.

 

“Hi, you must be Julie’s mom,” said Dean. She stopped and looked at him with her big brown eyes,

 

“Yes hi, I’m Juliet Brooks, you must be Tegan’s dad,” said the woman. Dean nodded.

 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Dean Winchester,” said Dean. They resumed walking through the hall, “Gotta say, Tegs loves her new friends, we thought it would be hard for her to adapt but she’s been doing great,” he added.

 

“Julie loves making new friends, and she’s obsessed with your daughter… she’s been begging me for a play date with her actually,” said Juliet. Dean didn’t understand very well how those worked but he tried to act casual,

 

“Sounds great,” he said.

 

“Perfect, we could schedule something for next week,” she said,

 

“Do you need my number?” asked Dean,

 

“No, I’m sure Miss Milton already added your information to the classroom contact list,” said Juliet,

 

“Right,” said Dean.

 

“She’s such an organized teacher, we’re lucky to have her,” said Juliet,

 

“Yeah,” said Dean.

 

“Talking about being organized, I’m part of the PTA and I’m really involved in what goes around this school… I don’t know if you’ve heard but the school organizes a bake sale every couple of months to raise money for those in need,” said Juliet,

 

“Oh, I had no idea but it sounds great,” said Dean,

 

“Well, every classroom takes turns with the bake sale, the next one will be in a couple of weeks and our classroom is actually the one in charge this time… it’ll be the last one of the year and all the money we raise will be for the children’s hospital,” explained Juliet,

 

“Awesome, how can we help?” asked Dean,

 

“Most of the information is in the papers Miss Milton gave you and she’ll probably send an e-mail to remind us but usually we suggest every family in the classroom brings something for the sale, homemade preferably,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, perfect! We could bring some pies, my husband’s pies are the best,” said Dean smiling and already thinking in all the food he would get to eat at the bake sale.

 

Juliet looked at him and blinked a couple of times.

 

“Well… I- I’ll let you know if we need anything else but umm… pie sounds great,” she said.

 

“Awesome… well, it was nice meeting you Juliet but I gotta go; don’t want to be late for work,” he said.

 

“Sure,” she said. Her face looked weird, like suddenly she wasn’t comfortable.

 

“And let me know about the play date… or actually, even better, you should contact my husband, he’s the one in charge to be honest,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah… I have to go too, have a nice day,” she started walking faster and turned left on a hallway.

 

“Bye,” said Dean. Something inside him told him that Juliet Brooks wasn’t a fan of same sex marriage.

* * *

 

 

“We’re home!” said Charlie when they walked into the house.

 

“Lunch is almost ready,” said Cas from the kitchen.

 

“I’ll go leave my backpack upstairs and wash my hands,” said Tegan to Charlie.

 

Charlie walked into the kitchen and found Cas working on a salad,

 

“Wow, Tegan voluntarily went upstairs to leave her backpack and wash her hands,” said Charlie.

 

“Yes, she knows she has to do that everyday,” said Cas. Charlie raised her eyebrows,

 

“What? You thought we would let her do whatever she wants?” asked Cas chuckling.

 

“To be honest, yeah… I mean, I would do it,” said Charlie; she ruffled Len’s hair and smiled at the little boys with food smeared all over their faces.

 

“They just finished their lunch,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, I can see that,” said Charlie. Cas grabbed a wet wipe and started cleaning Alan’s face. Charlie followed her example and helped him with Leonard.

 

“Hi uncle Cas,” said Tegan walking into the kitchen.

 

“Hello sweetheart, how was your day?” asked Cas.

 

“It was awesome, Miss Milton gave me a star,” said Tegan.

 

“Where is it?” asked Cas looking at Tegan’s face.

 

“I put it in my notebook, that way I won’t lose it,” said Tegan.

 

“Smart move,” said Charlie.

 

“Did you eat your lunch?” asked Cas when he saw Tegan placing her lunchbox in the sink,

 

“Yes, I love your chicken salad!” she said smiling.

 

“I know,” said Cas, “and I have a surprise for you, check the fridge,”

 

Tegan opened the fridge and found a tray with little plastic cups of Jell-O,

 

“Jell-O!” she said,

 

“Yeah, I made different flavors and I added fruits to it… I cut the fruit in small pieces so your brothers can eat it too,” said Cas.

 

“That sounds delicious actually,” said Charlie.

 

“You can have one for dessert,” said Cas.

 

“Can I have one now? I already had lunch at school,” said Tegan.

 

“Yes, of course,” said Cas. Tegan grabbed a cup with red jell-O and closed the fridge door.

 

Charlie and Tegan sat next to each other at the table. Cas placed a couple of bowls with soup on the Table and Charlie smiled widely,

 

“Man, noodles and vegetables… this is perfect for today’s weather,” said Charlie.

 

“I figured you would like it,” said Cas. He was about to sit down when Leonard started pointing at his sister and trying to catch everyone’s attention,

 

“Gan!” he said,

 

“Oh, you want Jell-O like your sister?” asked Cas. Leonard smiled.

 

“Okay let’s see,” said Cas standing up; he grabbed 3 Jell-O cups from the fridge and placed them on the table, “we have green, yellow and red… which one do you want?” asked Cas. Leonard pointed at the green one and Cas nodded. “I know you don’t like the texture but I’m still offering… do you want one?” asked Cas to Alan.

 

“No,” said Alan shaking his hand.

 

“Let’s give you a cookie, okay? We all have the right to have dessert in this house,” said Cas.

 

Tegan told them everything about her day while Charlie and Cas ate and the twins made a mess with their desserts.

 

“I also made chicken salad sandwiches Charlie,” said Cas when Charlie finished her soup.

 

“Man, this has to be the best lunch I’ve had in weeks,” said Charlie with a huge smile.

 

“You just love homemade food,” said Cas.

 

“You got me,” said Charlie.

 

“Is uncle Dean gonna be here for dinner?” asked Tegan.

 

“Yes sweetheart, don’t worry,” said Cas.

 

“That reminds me, we should text him… they were closing some streets on our way here,” said Charlie,

 

“Why?” asked Cas,

 

“We asked one of the police officers, she said some of the local schools are organizing a fall festival and a parade apparently… it’s not a huge thing but they closed some streets around Memorial Park,” said Charlie.

 

Cas grabbed his iPad and searched for more information,

 

“I had no idea about this, your school isn’t part of the parade, is it?” asked Cas to Tegan,

 

“No, we’re not,” said Tegan.

 

“Oh, I found a list of the schools that are part of it… wow they’re closing half of Sertoma Avenue, Ellis road, the 26th and the 22nd… you’re going to have to leave earlier tomorrow for School,” said Cas, “I’ll text Dean to let him know, the last thing we want is Bobby and Dean stuck in traffic before dinner time,” Charlie giggled.

 

“Oh man, they would kill each other,” said Charlie.

 

Charlie helped Cas with the dishes while he cleaned (again) and changed the twins.

 

“I’m not sure if you ate any of that Jell-O at all mister, your shirt was completely green,” said Cas laughing and placing Leonard back in his high chair, Alan was already in his wearing a clean onesie.

“Well, I cleaned the kitchen, you cleaned the babies and now I have to go back to work… see you in a few hours. We’re bringing Chinese and Dorothy said she promised Tegan they would bake cookies today,” said Charlie.

 

“I can’t wait!” said Tegan.

* * *

 

 

After Lunch and saying goodbye to Charlie, Cas took the kids upstairs to rest in the TV room.

 

Tegan, Cas and Len played rolling a small ball to Nik and waiting for him to bring it back. Alan played alone with his Legos.

 

They were having a great time when Cas noticed that Leonard kept making weird faces and putting his hand inside his mouth.

 

“What’s wrong Len? Do you have something in your mouth?” asked Cas. The little boy started whimpering, he looked upset. Cas got closer to the boy and took his hand out of his mouth. When Leonard opened his mouth to complain Cas noticed his tongue seemed bigger than usual.

“Leonard?” asked Cas. He touched him and he felt warm, his eyes looked irritated and he obviously didn’t know what was going on.

 

“What’s wrong?” Asked Tegan.

 

“I think he’s having an allergic reaction… Tegan stay here with Alan, okay? I’m going to check in the bathroom if we have medicine for that,” said Cas. He stood up, grabbed Leonard and ran to his bathroom.

* * *

 

 

“Don’t worry Len, it’s going to be fine,” he said while opening drawers, “crap, I could’ve sworn we had an Epipen in the medicine drawer,” said Cas. Leonard started squirming in Cas’ arms.

 

“Sorry, I’m just wasting time,” said Cas. He looked at his watch, it had only been around an hour since the boys had lunch, assuming he was having a reaction to something he ate, that meant that it wasn’t an immediate reaction, which was at least a good thing. It was obviously something internal because he didn’t have a rash or irritated skin.

 

Cas was scared; he didn’t know what to do. He took a deep breath and sent his anxiety and fear to the back of his head _‘I’ll deal with that later’_ he thought.

 

“Did you find the medicine?” asked Tegan when Cas returned to the TV room,

 

“No… I,” Cas was thinking very fast. Leonard needed a hospital. Calling Charlie to come back and take them to the hospital would take forever; they would have to wait at least 20 minutes. He could call 911; the closest hospital was a 13 minutes drive away… thought with the streets closed for the parade. And what about Alan and Tegan? He would have to go in the ambulance with Leonard. Bobby and Jody weren’t in town. Gabe was in Indiana with his dad.

 

For Cas it felt like an eternity but in reality only 5 seconds passed before he made a decision,

 

“Tegan, go grab our coats and the baby bag… meet me at the garage, don’t run,” said Cas. Tegan nodded and headed downstairs without saying another word. Cas grabbed a blanket from the couch and wrapped Leonard with it. He picked Alan from the floor and then headed to the garage carrying both babies.

* * *

 

¿Where are we going?” asked Tegan from the backseat of the minivan,

 

“To the hospital, help me with Alan’s seatbelt please,” said Cas while buckling up Leonard. Tegan helped him and then went back to her seat; she immediately buckled up too.

 

“Okay, we’re ready to go. I need you to hold your brother’s hand okay? Everything’s going to be just fine kids,” said Cas. He got out of the car, ran around it, opened the driver’s door, took a seat and then started the minivan. He took a deep breath and without giving it another thought he started driving.

* * *

 

 

Luckily Charlie had told him about the closed streets, he took a different route to the hospital, driving fast but trying not to scare the kids. He was halfway to the hospital when he decided to call Charlie,

 

“Siri,” he said to his watch, “Call Charlie,”

 

“Calling Charlie Bradbury,” answered the minivan speakers,

 

“Hey Cas, what’s up? Miss me already?” asked Charlie when she answered the call,

 

“Charlie, Leonard is having an allergic reaction… we’re on our way to the hospital,” said Cas.

 

“Oh my god… I’ll meet you there, which hospital?” asked Charlie.

 

“Sioux Falls VA,” said Cas.

 

“Okay, I’ll be there in five… I’m already leaving the office,” said Charlie, “how is he?” Cas looked through the rearview mirror,

 

“He’s upset, his tongue is swollen and I think his lips are starting to look a little puffy too… he’s breathing very fast but I think it is because he’s scared,” said Cas.

 

“Jesus… keep calm,” said Charlie,

 

“Charlie, I’m driving… we’re in the minivan,” said Cas trying not to cry.

 

“Holly TARDIS! Cas, breathe okay? I’m gonna hang up so you don’t get distracted. I’ll see you in a few minutes, please just focus,” said Charlie.

 

“That’s what I’m doing,” said Cas. Charlie ended the call.

 

“Uncle Cas, I’m scared,” said Tegan.

 

“Don’t be sweetheart, Leonard’s going to be fine… we’re almost there,” said Cas. He really wished Dean could be with them.

* * *

 

 

“Cas!” Yelled Charlie when she saw him and the kids walking into the ER, “that’s my nephew,” said Charlie to a nurse. Apparently she had already told the staff about Leonard’s situation.

 

A small group of nurses and doctors surrounded Cas and took Leonard from him. Alan started yelling and crying out loud as soon as he saw the doctors take his brother,

 

“NO! Len!” he yelled. Cas hugged him,

 

“He’s going to be fine Alan, they’re going to help him,” said Cas holding back his tears.

 

“Can I please go with him? He’s just a little baby,” said Cas to one of the nurses.

 

“Okay but only you, follow me,” said the nurse. Cas nodded and passed Alan to Charlie,

 

“I’m sorry,” said Cas to Charlie.

 

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll take care of them,” said Charlie.

* * *

 

 

Luckily there weren’t any complications. Leonard reacted perfectly to the medication and now he was resting on a hospital bed staring at his IV and crying silently.

 

“You should sleep Len, allergy medicines tend to make you feel sleepy,” said Cas playing with Leonard’s hair. Leonard looked at him and the IV in his left hand,

 

“That’s to keep you hydrated,” said Cas, “I hope is not too painful,”

 

“Hey, how is he doing?” asked Charlie suddenly drawing the curtains separating them from the rest of the ER.

 

“His lips and tongue are almost back to his normal size, they’re running some tests just to make sure that everything’s fine,” explained Cas, “where’s Tegan?”

 

“Dorothy picked her up, she took her to the coffee shop… they’ll meet us at your place later,” said Cas.

 

“The doctor said we’ll be free to go in about an hour,” said Cas. Charlie placed Alan next to his brother in the bed, “did it take you long to make him stop crying?” asked Cas.

 

“Luckily there was a guy with a service dog in the waiting area, Alan got distracted with her.” Cas smiled. Alan hugged his brother and stayed there next to him, both boys looked like they needed a nap.

 

“Look at that Cas, he’s taking care of his brother,” said Charlie hugging Cas.

 

“He loves him so much, he said his name earlier, did you notice?” Asked Castiel.

 

“Yeah, I mean the situation kinda sucks but hey, he talked,” said Charlie sitting down next to Cas. “How are you feeling?” she asked,

 

“I don’t know… I haven’t allowed myself to feel anything… but just like the boys I could use a nap,” said Cas.

 

“You drove here,” whispered Charlie.

 

“I did… I don’t know what I was thinking- I, I’m not sure if I was thinking… I was acting on autopilot to be honest, it just seemed like the most logical thing to do at the moment,” he said.

 

“Cas, it’s cool man, nobody got hurt and you got Len to the hospital… I always knew you would go back to driving sometime,” said Charlie. Cas snorted,

 

“Who would’ve thought it would be because my kid had an allergic reaction to something I cooked for him and I had to rush him to the freaking hospital,” said Cas. Tears started rolling down his eyes.

 

“Cas, you can’t blame yourself for this, you don’t even know what caused the allergy, it could’ve been anything,” said Charlie.

 

“I already discussed it with the doctor, we made a list of everything Leonard ate today… the only thing new in his diet was kiwi,” said Cas.

 

“When did he have kiwi?” asked Charlie,

 

“The Jell-O, it had grapes and kiwi,” said Cas.

 

“Oh Cas, it was an accident… you didn’t know he would be allergic,” said Charlie.

 

“What if I hadn’t noticed that he wasn’t feeling well? What if I had put him in his crib so he could take a nap? Charlie, I could have lost one of them today,” said Cas, his voice breaking.

 

“But you didn’t Cas, you saved him,” said Charlie.

 

“I suck at this,” whispered Cas. Charlie took his hand and Cas just sat there looking at the twins holding each other. At some point Leonard finally fell asleep and Cas started sobbing.

 

“Cas,” said Charlie. Alan got closer to Cas, taking care of not disturbing his brother,

 

“I suck at this,” said Cas again.

 

“No… pa-pa,” said Alan suddenly. Cas and Charlie looked at him in shock,

 

“What was that Alan?” asked Charlie,

 

“No, papa,” said Alan. He stretched his arm and put his hand on Cas’ left eye, he was clearly trying to wipe Cas’ tears. Cas stood up and wiped his tears,

 

“I don’t deserve you,” he said before hugging the little boy.

* * *

 

An hour and 15 minutes later, they were leaving the hospital. Charlie had a sleeping Alan in her arms and Cas was holding Leonard, who was asleep too.

 

“I’ll drive,” said Charlie once they had put the babies in their car seats.

 

“What about your car?” asked Cas.

 

“Dorothy took it, she came here in a cab,” said Charlie.

 

“Okay,” said Cas handing the keys to Charlie,

 

“I don’t have anything against you driving Cas, but first of all, you’re tired as fuck,” said Charlie making sure that the kids were still asleep, “and second, you don’t have a license… I mean you do, but I’m pretty sure it expired like 3 years ago,”

 

“You’re right… on both things,” said Cas; he got into the car and let Charlie drive.

 

* * *

 

 

When Dean arrived to his house, he was surprised when he didn’t find his family gathered in the kitchen.

 

“I’m home!” he said out loud,

 

“Upstairs,” replied Charlie.

 

Dean followed Charlie’s voice and felt warm inside when he found his family in the TV room. Tegan was sitting between Dorothy and Charlie on the large couch. They were wrapped in blankets and eating Chinese food. Cas was in a nest of pillows and blankets on the floor, with a twin on each arm. They were watching Steven Universe.

 

“Hello family, I love seeing you guys like this,” said Dean with a big smile.

 

“Hello Dean,” said Cas turning his face to look at his husband. Dean noticed in that moment that something was wrong. Cas looked like he had been crying.

 

“What happened?” asked Dean.

 

“Tegan, why don’t we go to the kitchen to see if our cookies are ready?” said Dorothy standing up,

 

“Okay,’ said Tegan. She placed her plate on the coffee table and followed her aunt downstairs. Dean sat next to Cas on the floor,

 

“Leonard had an allergic reaction to something he ate today, we had to take him to the hospital,” said Cas with a serious expression.

 

“Oh my god, buddy,” Dean took Leonard from Cas’ arm and scanned him trying to make sure that everything was fine. The little boy looked calmed but his eyes showed that he had been crying too.

 

“He’s fine now, I made an appointment with the allergist though, for the 3 kids,” said Cas. Dean hugged Leonard with one arm and with the other he pulled Cas towards him. Cas rested his head against Dean’s shoulder.

 

“Was it bad?” asked Dean. Cas took a deep breath,

 

“His tongue and lips were swollen and he was scared, the four of us were scared,” said Cas.

 

“When did it happen?” asked Dean.

 

“Charlie was already gone, it was probably 40 minutes after she left that I noticed, he was acting weird and he seemed uncomfortable… I looked for an Epipen around the house but I couldn’t find any,” said Cas almost in a whisper. He obviously wasn’t in the mood for talking. Dean kissed his husband on the top of the head and then turned his attention to Charlie with an expression that clearly said _‘what the hell happened’_

“Cas drove them to the hospital… that’s why he looks so tired. He hasn’t had time to digest what happened, I guess… but he drove them safely to the hospital and took care of the situation. And of course as a good Novak-Winchester he split his time between being worried about the kids and hating himself for what happened,” said Charlie.

 

“Cas, babe… don’t blame yourself, it was an accident,” said Dean.

 

“I gave him the freaking food Dean, he could’ve died because of me,” said Cas.

 

“Hey, we didn’t even know the kid had allergies. We don’t know if Tegan or Al have… and we’ve been feeding them all kind of shit and letting them pet weird animals,” said Dean.

 

“Are you saying we’re terrible parents?” asked Cas.

 

“No, I’m saying this kind of shit happens, okay? They don’t come with a freaking manual and we’ve only been parents for like a month. This could’ve happened to anyone, to Charlie or your dad or Bobby… we don’t know, we’re learning,” said Dean.

 

“I felt so useless,” said Cas.

 

“I’m never leaving town again,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, not you too,” said Charlie rolling her eyes.

 

“I should have been here today,” said Dean.

 

“Dean, you’re a freaking hypocrite… you just told Cas that this wasn’t his fault and that shit happens and now you’re blaming yourself for not being here… you two are so freaking alike,” said Charlie.

 

“She’s right Dean… if I can’t blame myself for what happened then you shouldn’t do it either,” said Cas. Dean just crossed his arms,

 

“Stop sulking you big baby, we have Chinese for dinner, the kids are alright, Cas drove the minivan and Alan said 2 new words today… it was a shitty day but it was also a great day,” said Charlie. Dean grabbed a box of rice from the coffee table and started eating,

 

“Wait, Alan talked?” asked Dean in sudden realization.

 

“He said Len,” said Cas.

 

“And he called Cas papa,” said Charlie.

 

“He what?” asked Dean.

 

“Charlie!” said Cas.

 

“What? He did,” replied Charlie,

 

“Yes, but I wasn’t going to tell Dean like that,” said Cas.

 

“What? Cas… you thought I would be upset because he called you papa and not me… dude, he’s talking… I don’t care if he starts only saying bad words or Justin Bieber lyrics, he’s talking,” said Dean happy. “You talked buddy,” he ruffled Alan’s hair.

 

“We have cookies,” came Dorothy’s voice from the stairs. She was clearly letting them know that Tegan was about to join them so they should stop arguing if they were,

 

“Awesome,” answered Dean. The rest of the night was spent between blankets and with cookies and hot cocoa. Dean told them about his express visit to Pierre.

 

“The realtor was right, the place is perfect… we’re closing the deal next week,” said Dean.

 

“I’m really happy for you love,” said Cas placing a soft kiss on Dean’s cheek.

 

“I don’t understand, are we moving back to Pierre?” asked Tegan,

 

“No pumpkin, we’re just opening another garage there; we’re gonna stay here in Sioux Falls,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, I like this house, I’m happy we’re staying,” said Tegan.

 

 

* * *

 

 

An hour later Charlie and Dorothy decided to leave. It was really cold outside; they would probably have snow again in a couple of days.

 

“Goodbye Charlie, Dorothy… thanks for everything. You saved my life today,” said Cas,

 

“Dude, you need to give yourself more credit… you took care of the situation and stayed in control. We helped of course but you didn’t need our help to ‘save your life’ man,” said Charlie.

 

“Well, you made me strong by being there next to me… and Dorothy, thanks so much for taking Tegan with you, that was such a good gesture from you,” said Cas.

 

“Not a gesture man, we’re family and we help each other, okay?” said Dorothy. Cas hugged her.

 

“Thanks a lot guys, really,” said Dean.

 

“Get some rest you two… and for the love of god, don’t you dare start arguing again over your stupid self loathing, you’re both great parents,” said Charlie.

 

Dean just rolled his eyes.

 

“You gotta stop hanging with Bobby… you’re starting to sound a lot like him,” said Dean.

 

Charlie smiled feeling proud.

* * *

 

 

Dean finished taking his shower and after putting on his pajamas he left the bathroom. Cas was walking into their bedroom in that moment.

 

“Everything alright?” asked Dean,

 

“Yes, I was just checking on him again,” said Cas.

 

“I’m pretty sure we’re overreacting but I don’t care,” said Dean walking towards his husband. Cas hugged him,

 

“Can’t we just put them in a plastic bubble to protect them from everything?” asked Cas.

 

“You know we can’t Cas… you grew up with an overprotective dad, remember?” said Dean.

 

“I’m pretty sure the plastic bubble idea passed through his mind at least a couple of times,” said Cas.

 

“Do you blame him?” asked Dean chuckling.

 

“Not really, tomorrow when we pick them up from the airport I’m going to hug him and apologize,” said Cas.

 

“He’s gonna think you’re dying,” said Dean.

 

“Probably,” answered Cas. Dean held his husband’s hand and guided him to their bed. They took their usual places and sat next to each other.

 

“I’m sorry I didn’t call you to let you know what was happening,” said Cas.

 

“I think it was for the best, I would’ve dropped everything and driven like a freaking maniac to be here with you,” said Dean.

 

“That’s what stopped me from calling you,” said Cas.

 

“So instead you decided to drop everything and drive like a freaking maniac yourself,” said Dean smiling.

 

“I am an excellent driver Winchester… we were safe the whole time and I even managed to park smoothly when we arrived to the hospital,” said Cas.

 

“You were brave babe,” said Dean.

 

“I had to… they needed me to be,” said Cas.

 

“I texted Bobby and told him what happened, I’m taking the day off tomorrow and we’re all gonna stay here warm and cozy having a nice family morning,” said Dean.

 

“Tegan has to go to school,” said Cas.

 

“No, she doesn’t, we just went through a traumatic event and I’m pretty sure the doctor said we needed to stay together in bed watching movies and drinking hot cocoa,” said Dean.

 

“We’re not all together in bed… your plan has flaws,” said Cas smiling. Dean stood up and walked towards the door. For a moment Cas thought he was about to go and wake up the kids but then, Dean locked the door.

 

“My plan has no flaws Cas… I plan to make love to my husband and then cuddle with him,” said Dean with a mischievous grin.

 

“I’m kinda tired tonight but I appreciate the gesture,” said Cas with a soft smile.

 

“Just relax babe, I’ll take care of you,” said Dean pushing Cas softly against the mattress.

 

“Dean,” whispered Cas.

 

“I love you,” said Dean before starting tracing kisses on Cas’s belly.

 

“Fuck… I love you too,” said Cas. Dean chuckled.

* * *

 

November 23rd

 

The annoying sound of the alarm woke up Dean. He let go of Cas and turned around to turn off the damn thing.

 

“Sorry, forgot to turn it off last night… go back to sleep,” said Dean placing a soft kiss on the back of Cas’ neck. Cas answered with a grunt and then he buried his face in his pillow. Dean chuckled and went back to his previous position, holding his husband.

 

Dean was about to fall asleep again when the outside world reminded him that they still had adult responsibilities,

 

“Milk,” came Len’s voice from the baby monitor. Dean opened his eyes and took a deep breath,

 

“Guess we forgot to let them know that we were planning to stay in bed all day,” said Dean rubbing his eyes. He got out of bed and after finding his slippers he decided to go to the bathroom first.

 

“Milk,” said Len again. Dean rolled his eyes.

 

“Coming! Just gotta take a leak first,” he said.

* * *

 

 

Dean was happy to find that Len looked fine. He seemed healthy and full of joy… and he was hungry which was also a good sign.

 

“Feeling better today little human?” asked Dean.

 

“Milk,” said Len.

 

“You hungry?” asked Dean lifting the little boy from his crib, “let’s get rid of this diaper and then we’ll go downstairs to get you a warm bottle of milk, okay?”

 

* * *

 

 

Dean went to Alan’s room to check if the baby was still sleeping. He found Alan awake just sitting and staring at the ceiling.

 

“Morning Al,” said Dean, “Want some milk?” he handed Alan his bottle. Alan didn’t make a sound; he looked like he wasn’t ready to interact with the world yet,

 

“Jesus, you’re like Cas in the morning,” said Dean chuckling, “c’mon let’s change your diaper,” said Dean. He placed Len in Alan’s crib and then took Alan to the changing table.

 

“We’re gonna have a fun day kiddo, we’re gonna stay home all morning and then after lunch we’re taking you to the allergist and then you’re gonna stay with grandpa Bobby because we’re going to the airport to pick uncle Sammy, auntie Jess, grandpa Chuck and uncle Gabe. We planned a great weekend with the whole family, well it’s a Wednesday so we’re starting kinda early but still, we’re gonna have a great time kiddo,” Alan kept drinking his milk while Dean worked on changing his diaper and told him all about the plans for thanksgiving.

 

After changing Al’s diaper Dean picked up both boys,

 

“Let’s try to go back to sleep okay? At least another hour, your… papa and I would really appreciate it,” said Dean. He felt weird using that word but Alan had called Cas like that the day before… should they encourage the kids to call Cas papa? Maybe Dean would be dad then… what about Tegan? Would she ever be comfortable calling them her parents? He had a lot of questions but it was 7:46 in the morning and he knew he probably wasn’t going to find the answers for them right now.

 

They left Alan’s room. He walked slowly through the hallway and when he turned left to the TV room, he heard Teg’s door being opened,

  
“Uncle Dean! What time is it? I think we fell asleep… I’m gonna be late for school!” Said Tegan looking worried; Dean smiled.

 

“Kiddo, Cas and I decided that you’re not going to school today and I’m not going to work,” said Dean.

 

“Why?” asked Tegan confused,

 

“Because yesterday was a scary day and we all need to rest and get ready for this weekend activities, what do you say?” answered Dean,

 

“Can I go back to bed then?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, come join us, we were about to join Cas in a morning nap,” said Dean smiling,

 

“Awesome,” said Tegan, “c’mon Nik!” she said to the little dog, who was sleeping in her room. Nik joined her and they followed Dean to his room.

* * *

 

 

“What’s going on?” asked Cas when he felt Alan snuggling next to him,

 

“I told you we were going to spend the morning in bed,” said Dean.

 

“Yeah, you did,” said Cas yawning.

 

“We’re taking a morning nap,” said Tegan.

 

“Sounds perfect,” said Cas smiling. Tegan placed herself in the center of the bed, between the twins. Alan was resting next to Cas and Len was next to Dean. Nik was comfortable under Tegan’s feet. Dean felt sleepy but he waited until he saw his whole family sleeping. He liked the picture, his family safe and comfortable next to him. He fell asleep with a huge smile on his face.

* * *

 

 

The lazy family morning had been great. They managed to stay in bed until 9 am, and then they had breakfast while watching a movie.

 

After taking the kids to the allergist and waiting for the tests result Dean drove them to Target to buy the last things they would need for thanksgiving.

 

“Tegan, don’t scratch your arm sweetie,” said Dean while pushing the shopping cart.

 

“It feels funny,” she said.

 

“Are you feeling okay?” asked Cas suddenly worried,

 

“Yes uncle Cas, the doctor said I’m healthy… I don’t have allergies,” she said feeling proud for some reason.

 

“She’s just scratching because the doctor put a needle in her skin like 10 times in a row,” said Dean.

 

“You were very brave Tegan,” said Cas, “and you too,” he said to the twins comfortably sitting in their stroller.

 

“He’s such a great doctor, Alan didn’t even notice he was being tested,” said Dean.

 

“I have to admit I was afraid he would get scared but he was really brave too,” said Cas.

 

“Well, like you said… we have three brave kids,” said Dean.

 

They took their time picking what they would need. Dean let the kids pick each a small toy as a reward for their great behavior with the doctor.

 

“We should buy something for Ben,” said Cas suddenly.

 

“What?” asked Dean.

 

“His birthday is next week,” said Cas looking at a Star Wars Lego set.

 

“Are you sure?” asked Dean.

 

“Yes, he told me, November 27th,” said Cas.

 

“No, I mean… are you sure we should send him something?” asked Dean.

 

“Dean, he’s a good boy and I don’t know… it feels like the right thing to do,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah, I really liked him and I’m glad Lisa has him, maybe it wasn’t under the best circumstances but he’s made her a better person,” said Dean.

 

“What about this one?” asked Cas grabbing the Lego set.

 

“I would’ve loved to have that as a kid,” said Dean. Cas nodded and put it in the cart.

 

“Why are you buying that one?” asked Tegan when she approached them with the purple dragon she had chosen for herself.

 

“It’s for a friend,” said Dean.

 

“Who?” asked Tegan.

 

“It is a long story but basically, Dean has this friend, her name is Lisa and she has a son around your age, his birthday is next week and we’re getting him a present,” explained Cas.

 

“Are we going to his party?” asked Tegan,

 

“No, they don’t live here, we’re sending the gift to them,” said Cas.

 

“Oh, okay,” said Tegan.

 

They left Target 20 minutes later.

* * *

 

 

A little after 6 pm Dean, Cas and Tegan were on their way to the airport.

 

“I can’t wait to see grandpa Chuck,” said Tegan.

 

“I miss him too,” said Cas.

 

“Do you think he’s still sad?” asked Tegan looking at the road through the window. Cas didn’t say anything for a couple of seconds.

 

“I don’t know… but hopefully this few weeks away have helped him to distract himself,” said Cas.

 

“I’m sure he’s fine… and he’s gonna be really happy to see you and your brothers Tegan,” said Dean.

 

They kept driving, talking about their plans for the long weekend. Cas told Tegan about their first thanksgiving with Charlie and how Jill and Mike joined them the next year too.

 

“You know?” she asked, “I love our family,” said Tegan.

 

“Why?” asked Dean.

 

“Because we choose it and it makes it more special… we love each other a lot and we’re all a little crazy,” said Tegan.

 

“I think that’s an accurate description of our family,” said Cas.

 

“That’s what I’m gonna say when I explain my thanksgiving project at my school,” said Tegan.

 

“You’re gonna get all the golden stars kiddo,” said Dean, “oh, talking about your school… did you guys know there’s this bake sell every two months and that each class takes turns to be in charge of the sale? The next one is gonna be organized by Teg’s classroom,” said Dean.

 

“So that’s what ‘BS’ means… I kept wondering why that was written down on the class schedule for next month,” said Cas, “how do you know?”

 

“I ran into Julie’s mom yesterday when I dropped Tegs at her classroom, she told me,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, what did you tell her? Do we need to collaborate with something?” asked Cas.

 

“Yeah, I offered to bring a couple of homemade pies… she said all the profits go to people in need, the money they raise this time is gonna be for the children’s hospital,” explained Dean,

 

“Sounds great,” said Cas.

 

“Everybody is gonna love your pie uncle Cas,” said Tegan.

 

“Thanks sweetie,” answered Cas.

* * *

 

 

After finding a spot in the parking lot of the airport they went to wait for Sam and Jess.

 

“Can we get hot Chocolate at the Starbucks?” asked Tegan when she saw the coffee shop inside the airport.

 

“I don’t see why not, we still need to kill like 30 minutes until Sammy and Jess are here,” said Dean. Tegan walked between the two of them, holding their hands and Cas told them a brief story of cacao while they walked.

 

“I’ll get our drinks, you guys find a table,” said Dean when they reached the Starbucks. He walked in and Tegan and Cas went to a small table outside of the coffee shop.

 

“I like this table because we can see all the people walking by,” said Tegan.

 

“When I was a kid and I had to spend a lot of time in crowded places, I liked to make up stories for the people I saw,” said Cas.

 

“How?” asked Tegan,

 

“For example, that man,” said Cas pointing at a man wearing a black coat and carrying a guitar case and a backpack, “he’s a Rockstar, what do you think he’s doing at the airport? Use your imagination,”

 

“He’s going to take a plane… because, he needs to go to France to play a concert,” said Tegan,

 

“Yes, his name is Rick Smith and he plays in a band called…?” Cas pointed at Tegan,

 

“Umm… Nik the pug!” said Tegan giggling.

 

“They have great hits like ‘bark, bark, bark’ and ‘funny eyes,’ they have fans everywhere,” said Cas smiling. Tegan started to laugh out loud,

 

“This is funny,” said Tegan.

 

“I know,” said Cas.

 

“What about that lady?” asked Cas. There was a woman sitting close to a magazine stand. She was wearing a pink knitted hat that matched her globes and scarf.

 

“She’s here to visit all of her grandkids,” said Tegan,

 

“Really?” asked Cas,

 

“Yes, she has 27 grandkids and she made hats and scarves for everyone,” said Tegan,

 

“Like Molly Weasley,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah… but it’s easier for her because all her grandkids have names with the same letter… umm, letter C!” added Tegan.

 

“Right, there’s little Charles… Cassidy, Corey, Clay, Carol, Chris, Carlton,” listed Cas. He lifted a finger for every name he mentioned,

 

“Claudia, Cecil… Chuck!” said Tegan giggling.

 

“Cassandra, Carmen, Colton… oh, and Clementine, her oldest granddaughter,” said Cas. Tegan counted all the fingers they had lifted,

 

“14” said Tegan,

 

“We still need 13 names,” said Cas smiling,

 

“Christine, Clara, Calvin, Carla,” said Tegan chuckling,

 

“What are you doing?” asked Dean joining them with their hot drinks,

 

“That lady is going to visit her 27 grandkids for thanksgiving,” said Cas,

 

“And they all have names with the same letter,” added Tegan. Dean handed them their cups,

 

“I see… which letter is it?” asked Dean after taking a seat next to his husband.

 

“Letter C,” said Tegan,

 

“We’ve mentioned 18 names so far,” said Cas,

 

“Oh… did you remember Castiel?” asked Dean,

 

“How could we forget? Castiel is her favorite!” said Tegan smiling,

 

“Constance?” Asked Dean,

 

“Right, 20 names… let’s see… Chloe, Cameron,” said Cas. It was turning out to be a very interesting game,

 

“Cara and Caleb, the twins,” said Dean,

 

“Cynthia,” said Tegan,

 

“The one with the curly red hair,” said Cas; Tegan nodded,

 

“Colette,” said Dean.

 

“And her brother Clive of course,” said Cas.

 

“Those are all her grandkids, she’s gonna make scarves and hats for all of them,” said Tegan.

 

“Of course she will, she’s the world champion knitter in her age category, she’s been for 5 years in a row now,” said Dean. Tegan snorted,

 

“We’re silly,” she said.

 

“Yeah, we are,” said Dean.

 

“How did you know we were playing?” asked Tegan to Dean,

 

“I’ve known Cas since I was 8 Tegs, I know he likes to make stories for the people he sees in crowded places,” said Dean.

 

“I like your game,” said Tegan.

 

“Well, you can play it too whenever you want,” said Cas.

 

“Hey, look at that… 5:29 let’s go to the arrivals gate to wait for Sammy and Jess, they’ll be here any minute now,” said Dean standing up. They grabbed their cups and went to meet Sam and his wife.

 

* * *

 

“There he is,” said Dean pointing at the crowd walking out of the arrivals gate. Sam’s long hair and his height made him easy to spot. Dean raised his arms and waved them until he was sure that Sam had seen them.

 

“Hi guys,” said Sam when they finally met,

 

“Sammy! Jess!” said Dean with excitement. He hugged his brother first.

 

“Hello Jess, how was the flight?” asked Cas,

 

“It was fine, the little bug behaved enough to let me fly without throwing up,” said Jess rubbing her belly.

 

“I’m glad,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Come here,” she said. Cas hugged her tight. Jess was an expert on showing her love with hugs. She always made you feel warm and special after a hug.

 

“Aunt Jess I thought your belly would be bigger,” said Tegan standing next to Cas. Jess giggled and let go of Cas.

 

“It’ll get bigger, but it takes time,” said Jess, “come here, give me a hug,” said Jess. Tegan smiled and hugged her aunt.

 

“Cas, how are you man?” asked Sam hugging his friend.

 

“Fine thanks, how about you?” asked Cas.

 

“A lot of work but it was worth it, I get to spend these days with my family,” said Sam.

 

“Hi uncle Sammy,” said Tegan.

 

“I swear you’re at least an inch taller than the last time I saw you,” said Sam lifting his niece from the ground without effort.

 

“In my new class I’m taller than all the boys but there are 2 girls taller than me,” said Tegan.

 

“How’s school going?” asked Sam. They started walking towards the waiting area since they still had to wait for Gabe and Chuck’s flight to arrive.

 

“I like it, I have lots of friends and my teacher is really nice,” said Tegan.

 

“Are you learning a lot?” asked Sam.

 

“Yeah, I can write my name now! And I can read some small words,” she said proudly.

 

“Wow,” said Sam. They found 2 rows of empty chairs and they sat and put down their stuff.

 

“Sam, I’m gonna go to the bathroom, can you take care of my stuff?” asked Jess standing up after a few minutes.

 

“Sure,” said Sam.

 

“Can I go too?” asked Tegan.

 

“Yeah, c’mon,” Jess extended her hand and Tegan took it. Jess grabbed her purse and then they left the men in the waiting area.

* * *

 

 

Jess finished washing her hands and handed a paper towel to Tegan.

 

“Thanks,” said tegan drying her hands.

 

“You’re welcome sweetheart,” said Jess. Tegan kept staring at her.

 

“What’s in your mind?” asked Jess,

 

“Are you having a boy or a girl?” asked Tegan,

 

“We don’t know yet,” said Jess placing her hands over her stomach.

 

“But… do you want a boy or a girl?” asked Tegan getting closer to Jess,

 

“I don’t know really… I just want it to be a happy healthy baby,” said Jess,

 

“You should have a girl,” suggested Tegan,

 

“Really? Why?” asked Jess chuckling. She opened her purse and started looking inside for her lipstick.

 

“Because we need another girl in the family… I have two brothers and I’m the only girl, I want a little cousin that plays dolls with me,” explained Tegan.

 

“Boys can play dolls too, you know?” asked Jess.

 

“I know, my mommy told me that… but my brothers don’t wanna play dolls with me! Leonard keeps throwing my dolls to the dog and Alan just puts them in a line, he does that with all his toys,” said Tegan.

 

“That’s because they’re babies Tegs, they’ll learn how to play with you eventually, don’t worry about that,” said Jess.

 

“I guess,” said Tegan with a shrug. Jess put lipstick on her lips, “can I have some?” asked Teg.

 

“I’m not sure… are you allowed to?” asked Jess.

 

“I don’t know… my daddy and my mommy only let me wear Chap Stick… buy I don’t know about my new dads,” said Tegan.

 

“Oh,” said Jess. She was caught by surprise by Tegan’s words.

 

“So… can I?” asked Tegan,

 

“I have some Chap Stick here,” said Jess looking in her purse once again, “you can keep it if you want,”

 

“Awesome,” said Tegan. Jess smiled and handed her the little tube.

 

“Auntie Jess?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Can men wear make up too?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, if they like it they can wear it… and if women don’t like it then they don’t have to wear it,”

 

“Okay,” said Tegan.

 

“Why are you asking?” said Jess with curiosity,

 

“I don’t know what to get for uncle Cas and uncle Dean for Christmas… grandpa Bobby is gonna help me buy the presents,” said Tegan,

 

“Oh, and you’re checking your options,” said Jess.

 

“Yeah,” said Tegan with a sigh, “Julie is getting her mom a beautiful red lipstick,” she explained, “Jamie said his dad said ‘you can never go wrong with make up when it comes to presents’ and his dad know a lot,”

 

“Well, you still have time… but I don’t think make up would be the best option for them… I don’t think they wear make up,” said Jess,

 

“Yeah, I’ll keep thinking about it,” said Tegan.

* * *

 

 

“Remind me why the hell did Gabe decide to join your dad in thanksgiving week?” asked Sam,

 

“We don’t know, he just announced on Monday that he would be joining dad and he said his employees could take care of his business just fine,” said Cas.

 

“Maybe he missed Chuck, I mean… they live together and he must’ve been feeling lonely,” said Sam.

 

“That’s what Dean thinks too,” said Cas.

 

“We’re back,” announced Jess.

 

“Can I wear Chap Stick?” asked Tegan to Dean,

 

“Did your mom let you use it?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah… and I can paint my nails too but only if an adult helps me because the last time I tried to do it on my own I made a mess and my daddy yelled really loud,” explained Tegan. The group went really silent for a couple of seconds,

 

“You’ll learn eventually to do it on your own, painting your nails can be hard… I usually need someone to help me too,” said Jess.

 

“Really?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah,” said Jess with a smile.

 

“Hey Tegs, Cas was just telling me about your art project for thanksgiving,” said Sam,

 

“Are you gonna help me?” asked Tegan,

 

“Of course,” said Sam. Tegan took a seat between him and Jess.

 

“Uncle Sammy… do you have a picture of the baby?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, in my phone,” said Sam,

 

“Can we print one? I want to put the picture in my project too,” said Tegan,

 

“Yeah, sure,” said Sam,

 

“Awesome,” said Tegan.

* * *

 

 

Almost 40 minutes later Chuck and Gabe walked out of the arrivals door.

 

“Grandpa Chuck!” yelled Tegan; she was sitting on Sam’s shoulders,

 

“Tegan!” said Chuck with a smile,

 

“I missed you,” said Tegan,

 

“I missed you too sweetie,” said Chuck. He seemed tired but he was obviously happy of seeing his family again.

 

Sam put Tegan on the floor and she ran to hug her grandfather.

 

“Oh Tegs,” he said and hugged her. Dean wasn’t sure but he could’ve sworn he’d seen Chuck shed a couple of tears.

 

“How was your vacation?” asked Cas to Gabe.

 

“It was alright, nothing like spending a whole week sharing a hotel room with dad to make me stop missing him,” joked Gabe.

 

“You insisted on staying with me, I offered you your own room,” said Chuck smiling.

 

“But they didn’t need to know that father,” said Gabe pretending to be upset. Tegan let go of Chuck and then hugged Gabe.

 

“Hi kiddo!” he grabbed a chocolate bar from his pocket and handed it to Tegan.

 

Everyone said hi and hugged and talked about their flights. They spent 15 minutes just standing there and catching up.

 

“How are you dad? You look tired,” asked Cas to Chuck,

 

“I just need to sleep for 10 hours straight and I’ll be good as new,” said Chuck with a sad smile, “and maybe another hug from my son,” Cas smiled and hugged him tight.

 

“C’mon guys, let’s go… we left Bobby alone with the twins,” said Dean.

 

“Is Jody working?” asked Gabe,

 

“No, she went to that police convention thing they have every year,” said Dean.

 

“Oh, right… she’ll be home for thanksgiving though?” asked Gabe. They started walking towards the exit.

 

“Yeah, She’ll be back tomorrow morning,” said Dean.

* * *

 

 

“So, this is your new car,” said Sam looking at the minivan,

 

“Welcome to the world of having kids Samantha, don’t make fun of me because you’re gonna end up getting one of these eventually,” said Dean opening the trunk.

 

“I can send you all my research and my list of the best minivans for a family if you want,” said Cas helping Dean with the suitcases.

 

“Wait, since when does Cas know about cars?” asked Sam, “I mean… no offence but- you know,”

 

“I understand, but I really needed to make sure we were buying the right car for our family… plus now I don’t have to pretend that I understand what Dean is talking about when he comes back from work,” he said with a smirk.

 

“Nice to know you’re making an effort,” said Dean pushing him playfully.

 

“Well, the car looks great; do you like it Tegs?” asked Sam,

 

“Yeah, it has little TVs and it’s huge and everyone has their own seat,” she explained.

 

“Cool,” said Sam smiling.

 

“Okay, let’s go… sorry about the cheerios on the seats,” said Dean.

* * *

“Are you sure you guys don’t want to join us for dinner?” asked Dean when they parked outside Chuck’s place.

 

“We really appreciate it but I’m tired, all I want to do is take a shower and go to bed,” said Chuck yawning.

 

“Okay, what about you Gabe?” asked Dean,

 

“Sorry guys but I haven’t seen Tish in almost a week, we’re going to the movies later,” said Gabe.

 

“Okay then, see you tomorrow guys, welcome home,” said Dean.

 

“I’ll help you with your stuff,” said Cas. He got out of the Car and Dean pressed the button to open the trunk.

 

“What are we having for dinner? I’m starving,” said Jess.

 

“Cas and Bobby made a veggie lasagna,” answered Dean.

 

“I can’t wait,” said Jess. Dean snorted.

* * *

 

 

“Hi guys!” said Jody when they walked into Dean and Cas’ kitchen.

 

“Jody! What are you doing here?” asked Dean surprised.

 

“Oh, I decided to skip the closing event… which is basically all of the officers getting drunk at a local bar,” said Jody, “I just got here like an hour ago,”

 

“How was the road?” asked Sam,

 

“Oh, hi,” she hugged him, “it was okay, a lot of people heading to their homes for thanksgiving so I caught a little traffic,” she said. “How are you Sam?”

 

“Fine, a little hungry,” he said.

 

“Well, dinner’s ready and the table is already set,” announced Jody. She pointed at the kitchen table,

 

“Jody!” said Jess,

 

“Jess, hi! How are you? How’s that baby doing?” she placed her hand on Jess’ belly,

 

“We’re doing great… the baby keeps growing and everything’s perfect according to the doctors,” said Jess,

 

“I’m glad kiddo,” said Jody.

 

“Hey… talking about babies, Bobby told me what happened with Len yesterday. I’m glad he’s fine,” said Jody.

 

“What happened to Len?” asked Sam.

 

“It’s a long story and I’m starving and dying to see the kids, do you mind if we tell you during dinner?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, okay… but Len is fine, right?” asked Sam worried. He realized then that Dean had a weird look in his eyes, a mix between guilt and tiredness.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean.

 

“Okay, Jess… let’s go wash our hands, dinner smells amazing,” said Sam.

* * *

 

15 minutes into their dinner, Sam decided to ask about Leonard again. Jody and Bobby had already fed the twins so the boys were just sitting in their high chairs drinking juice and watching the adults and Tegan interact.

 

“So, what happened to Leonard then?” asked Sam,

 

“He had an allergic reaction to his dessert yesterday, I had to take him to the hospital,” said Cas.

 

“Oh my God,” said Jess, “Was it that bad?”

 

“His tongue and lips were swollen and he was having trouble breathing,” explained Cas.

 

“Jesus,” said Sam. They all stopped eating for a few seconds and directed their attention to the twins.

 

“Uncle Cas saved him, he drove the new car and took us to the hospital,” said Tegan.

 

“You drove?” asked Jody.

 

“Yes, I wasn’t thinking… I just did it, my child was in danger because of me, I had to do something,” said Cas.

 

“Dude, it wasn’t your fault,” said Sam.

 

“You weren’t there,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah but I’m pretty sure it was an accident Cas, don’t do this,” said Sam. Cas took a deep breath and nodded,

 

“Don’t be sad uncle Cas, you saved him and you were really brave,” said Tegan.

 

“Thanks Tegs,” said Cas smiling. Nobody talked for about a minute.

 

“I’m guessing I should tell you the whole thing,” said Cas.

 

“You don’t have to if you don’t wanna but yeah… I mean, we’re worried about our nephew,” said Sam.

 

Cas nodded and told them everything about the previous day. Sam noticed that with every word Cas said Dean looked more and more uncomfortable.

 

“And today uncle Dean didn’t go to work and I didn’t go to school because yesterday was a scary day and we needed to take a family nap and watch cartoons,” said Tegan.

 

“That’s cute,” said Jody,

 

“It was kind of our first family emergency and I wasn’t around… cut me some slack,” said Dean,

 

“Dean, it’s fine… I think it is nice that you show the kids how much you love them and that from time to time it’s okay to take a break and just enjoy the day,” said Jody.

 

“I liked today… well, I didn’t like that much going to the doctor but the rest of the day was great,” said Tegan.

 

“You went to the doctor?” asked Jess,

 

“We took them to see the allergist, we needed to get them tested for allergies… to be honest I was scared about them having thanksgiving dinner without knowing if they’re allergic to something,” said Cas.

 

“And are they?” asked Sam.

 

“Tegan doesn’t have allergies… the twins are allergic to kiwi,” explained Cas.

 

“Wow… well now I’m kinda freaking out and I need to check how old does a baby need to be before being tested for allergies,” said Jess.

 

“We should make a list of the allergies in our families,” said Sam,

 

“Oh for Christ’s sake, relax kids… honestly, I was able to raise you two and you seem to be doing fine,” said Bobby.

 

“I guess you’re right,” said Dean.

 

“You don’t have allergies?” asked Tegan to Dean,

 

“I’m allergic to cats,” said Dean with a serious expression and then he smirked, “and your Uncle Sam is allergic to haircuts,” he added.

 

Dean’s little comment was perfect to break the tension at the table; they spent the rest of their meal talking about their plans for the weekend.

* * *

 

 

Bobby and Jody left after dinner; she was really tired after her days out of town and wanted to be well rested for thanksgiving.

 

“Okay boys, it’s almost bath time… let’s get you ready,” said Dean to the twins when he returned to the kitchen after saying goodbye to Bobby and Jody.

 

“Sam, Jess… you know this is your house, feel free to relax or do whatever you want; we’re going to give these two a bath,” said Cas lifting Alan from his highchair.

 

“Tell you what… why don’t we clean the kitchen while you guys take care of the boys?” asked Sam. He stood up and grabbed a black apron from a drawer next to the stove.

 

“You don’t have to Sam, you’re our guests,” said Cas.

 

“Cas, it’s okay, you said this is our house and we want to help- I mean, don’t get me wrong but you look kinda tired,” added Jess.

 

“C’mon Cas, if they wanna clean the kitchen that’s fine… guys, feel free to use the dishwasher, you know where everything is, oh, and today is Tegan’s turn to feed Nik… we’re trying to give her some chores around the house, her therapist said it’ll help her learn about responsibility and all that stuff,” said Dean carrying Len in his arms.

 

“Got it,” said Sam.

 

“C’mon Cas, I just found a Froot Loop in Len’s hair,” said Dean.

 

“I’ll never understand how they do that,” said Cas following Dean out of the kitchen.

 

“They’re so cute,” said Jess while opening the dishwasher.

 

“The kids or the guys?” asked Sam.

 

“Both… I mean; I just… when I met Dean and Cas I never pictured them like this, you know? It is cute to see them all domestic and being so patient and loving with the kids,” said Jess.

 

“Yeah, it’s kinda weird… but it suits them and they’re doing a great job,” said Sam.

 

Tegan joined them in the kitchen then,

 

“Is today a Wednesday?” she asked,

 

“Yes sweetie,” said Jess.

 

“Oh, today is my turn to feed Nik, I have to do it every Monday, Wednesday and Friday,” she explained,

 

“Do you need help?” asked Sam,

 

“No, I can do it,” she answered looking proud. Sam and Jess stood there and watched her as she proceeded to grab the dog food and poured it in Nik’s bowl.

 

The little dog came running into the kitchen the moment he heard the sound of his food falling into the bowl.

 

“Hi Nik,” said Tegan. Nik made a funny noise that sounded almost like a pig and then started eating.

 

“I still remember when he first arrived to this family, he was so cute and tiny,” said Jess.

 

“You were there?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, Dean and Cas weren’t a couple yet… in fact, Dean had a girlfriend,” said Jess.

 

“He was a present right?” asked Tegan,

 

“Dean’s present for Cas… it was so sweet, you know? We kinda always knew that Dean and Cas would end up together… That was the Christmas when your mom and I met them and even we thought they were in love,” said Jess.

 

“Wow… do you have pictures?” asked Tegan,

 

“Of that Christmas? I think so, yeah… They’re probably still in the cloud. We can check in the apple TV after you take your bath, what do you say?” said Sam.

 

“Can we drink hot cocoa while we watch them?” asked Tegs.

 

“Sure thing kiddo,” said Sam.

 

“Awesome… can I take my bath now? I wanna watch the pictures and drink hot cocoa!” said Tegan excited,

 

“I guess there’s no problem… want Jess to help you?” asked Sam,

 

“Yes, can you auntie Jess?” asked Tegan,

  
“Let’s finish cleaning the kitchen and then we’ll go upstairs, okay?” said Jess to Tegan.

 

“Okay,” said Tegs with a smile.

* * *

 

 

“There you go buddy,” Dean finished dressing Leonard and then put him on the ground. “C’mon let’s go see if Cas finished dressing Alan,” Dean took Len’s hand and they walked towards Alan’s room.

 

“Ready for bedtime Alan?” asked Dean when they walked into the room. Cas was sitting on the armchair by the window; he was brushing Alan’s hair.

 

“He’s almost ready,” informed Dean.

 

“I just wanted to say goodnight buddy, today it’s my turn to read to your brother,” said Dean. He placed a soft kiss to Alan’s forehead,

 

“Say goodnight to Dean, Al,” said Cas. Alan was busy playing with one of his new stimming toys so he didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings,

 

“Man, he really loves that thing,” said Dean.

 

“It relaxes him,” explained Cas.

 

“Hey guys, are you in here?” came Sam’s voice from the door,

 

“Yeah, what’s up?” asked Dean,

 

“Hey, Tegs wants to see some old pictures and I already set the album in the apple TV, wanna join us?” asked Sam,

 

“Sure,” said Dean,

 

“Wait, Tegan needs to take her bath first,” said Cas,

 

“Done, Jess helped her… hope it’s okay,” said Sam suddenly wondering if they were overstepping.

 

“No man, that’s cool… I mean she basically can do it on her own she just needs supervision. Guess we’re ready to see some old pictures then,” said Dean.

 

“Do you think we should allow the boys to stay up a little later?” asked Cas,

 

“I think it’s cool… we don’t have to wake up early tomorrow and these are days to be with our family and loved ones, right?” said Dean,

 

“Okay, let’s go then,” said Cas.

* * *

 

 

15 minutes later they were comfortably sitting in front of the TV. Jess and Sam were sitting on the big couch with Tegan and Nik between them. Cas, Dean and the twins were in a nest of pillows and blankets on the floor like when they saw movies with Charlie and Dorothy the previous night.

 

“Okay, this one is the album,” said Sam pointing at the TV. He pressed play and a picture of Sam, Dean and Bobby appeared on the screen. They were outside Bobby’s house wearing coats and looking really happy.

 

“Wow,” said Tegan,

 

“That was the first Christmas I spent here,” said Jess smiling,

 

“Where are you?” asked Tegan,

 

“I took the picture,” explained Jess,

 

“Uncle Sammy, your hair was longer,” said Tegan.

 

They kept looking at pictures of that Christmas. It felt like it had been ages since that day. Cas was still in the closet; Dean was dating Lisa… Jill and Mike were still alive.

 

A picture of Dean and Cas sitting really close and holding little Nik appeared on the screen.

 

“Look at Nik! He was so little!” said Tegan with a huge smile.

 

“He was a month and a half,” said Cas,

 

“Aww… when is his birthday?” asked Tegan,

 

“It was last week actually,” said Dean,

 

“And we didn’t have a party?” asked Tegan,

 

“Well… we’ve had a lot going on in this house lately, we kinda had to skip it this year kiddo,” said Dean,

 

“But it was his birthday!” said Tegan with a tone that clearly meant ‘are you people crazy?’

 

“We never have parties for him,” said Cas,

 

“But how do you celebrate his birthday?” asked Tegan confused,

 

“I usually buy him dog snacks in this vegan store downtown, we take him to the dog park to play, we give him a bath and take a picture of him… wow, we really forgot this year; I’m sorry Nik,” said Cas to his dog.

 

“It’s okay uncle Cas… we can celebrate this weekend, can we?” she asked,

 

“Sure, we can go to the park… I’ll call Andrea and see if Coco can join us, would you like that?” said Cas,

 

“Yes!” said Tegan clapping,

 

“Wanna keep seeing the pictures?” asked Sam,

 

“Yeah,” said Tegan. She put Nik on her lap and started scratching behind his ears,

 

Sam smiled at his niece and pressed the remote to keep watching the pictures,

 

A picture of Jill, Charlie, Gabe and Jess laughing in Chuck’s kitchen appeared on the screen,

 

“Mama!” said Alan pointing at the screen,

 

“That’s right kiddo, that’s your mama,” said Dean; his voice broke a little. Alan and Leonard started waving at the TV.

 

“What were you doing there?” asked Tegan,

 

“Umm,” Jess took a deep breath, “Your uncle Gabe was telling us a joke I think”. Sam changed the picture; a selfie of Dean, Charlie and Jill showed on the TV.

 

“My mom was so beautiful,” said Tegs.

 

“Yeah, she was,” said Dean.

 

Next came a picture of Gabe, Mike, Cas, Sam and Dean sitting on Chuck’s porch.

 

“Dada!” said Leonard. Alan didn’t say anything but he stared at the picture really hard, he looked like he was trying to solve a mystery.

 

“Al, that’s Mike, your…dada, can you say dada?” asked Dean. If he was honest with himself he was as confused as Alan with the situation… if Mike was dada and Cas was papa, then how would they call Dean?

 

Alan looked at the screen and then turned around to look at Dean and Cas.

 

“He doesn’t know that word,” declared Tegan,

 

“But he’s learning kiddo… babies need us to repeat words and talk to them a lot so they can learn,” explained Dean,

 

“Uncle Cas is always talking to the boys… all the time,” said Tegan,

 

“Yes, I do that to help them increase their vocabulary... that means that I do it to help them learn more words,” said Cas,

 

“I don’t think it works with Alan,” said Tegan. The adults looked at each other for a second,

 

“What do you mean sweetheart?” asked Dean,

 

“He doesn’t know a lot of words, he only says ‘No’ and ‘mama’... Leonard knows a lot of words and he makes a lot of noises like he’s trying to talk but Alan doesn’t, why?” asked Tegan.

 

“All babies are different Tegan, I know they look almost identical but they’re not the same person…” said Cas,

 

“Besides, Alan knows more words,” said Dean,

 

“Really?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yeah, he said ‘Len’ yesterday at the hospital; Charlie and I heard him,” said Cas,

 

“And he called Cas… umm- he called him papa,” said Dean scratching the back of his neck,

 

“He did?” asked Sam,

 

“I… yes, he did, twice,” said Cas looking at Tegan, he wanted to see her reaction. Tegan looked at her brother and then turned her attention back to the screen,

 

“Can we keep watching pictures, please?” she asked,

 

“Yeah, of course,” said Sam.

* * *

 

 

By the time they had finished watching the whole photo album and an episode of Adventure Time, the three kids were sound asleep.

 

“I’ll take her to her room,” said Sam standing up with Tegan in his arms,

 

“Thanks Sammy,” said Dean.

 

“We should take the boys to their rooms too,” said Cas standing up.

 

After the kids were taken to their respective rooms the adults sat at the TV room in silence.

 

“So…” said Sam,

 

“Well, that went better than expected… to be honest I thought we would all end up crying with the pictures and the memories, you know?” said Dean.

 

“I kinda shed a couple of tears but I’m pregnant, and I cry a lot lately,” said Jess smiling.

 

“The boys still recognize Mike and Jill,” said Sam,

 

“It’s been only a month Sam… and they are their parents,” said Cas.

 

“Did Alan really call you papa?” asked Jess,

 

“He did… I was crying in the hospital while Leonard slept and Alan wiped my tears and said ‘no, papa’, I guess it was his way of saying ‘don’t cry,” said Cas,

 

“So, his communication skills really are improving then,” said Jess,

 

“Yes… though I have no idea how he learned that word; we’re not trying to force them to call us anything they don’t want, Tegs calls us uncle Dean and uncle Cas,” said Cas squinting his eyes,

 

“She called you her new dads,” said Jess,

 

“What? When?” asked Dean feeling a weird mix of happiness and confusion.

 

“Earlier today, when we went to the bathroom in the airport… she wanted to wear lipstick and I asked her if she was allowed, she said her mommy and daddy only let her wear Chap Stick and that she wasn’t sure what her new dads thought about make up,” explained Jess,

 

“And what did you say?” asked Dean,

 

“I kept the conversation going Dean, I didn’t want to scare her or make a big deal about that situation,” said Jess.

 

“You’re probably right… we should talk to her therapist next week though,” said Cas.

 

“Yeah,” said Dean.

 

“Well guys, we’re gonna hit the hay,” said Sam yawning,

 

“Yeah, you should rest, you need your batteries fully charged for this weekend,” said Dean,

 

“Good night,” said Cas,

 

“Good night guys,” said Jess. She followed Sam downstairs.

* * *

 

 

“What do you say we take a nice warm bath and then I give you a massage?” asked Dean when they walked into their room,

 

“Are you trying to get lucky tonight too Dean?” asked Cas smiling,

 

“Not really… babe, don’t take this the wrong way but you look tired and it is the kind of tired that you can’t fix with a nap,” said Dean,

 

“I’m sorry,” said Cas,

 

“Cas… you can’t help it, I get it. You went through a lot yesterday and I thought fooling around last night would help you relax but you still look tired,” said Dean,

 

“It helped me relax a lot, really Dean… I just have a lot going on in my mind, you know how I can get,” explained Cas.

 

“I know babe and since we don’t want you having a meltdown this weekend… c’mon, bath, massage and talking until we fall asleep,” said Dean.

 

“I love you,” said Cas.

* * *

 

 

The bath was perfect and the massage was exactly what Cas needed. Dean had played Cas’ favorite playlist while he massaged him.

 

After the massage Dean offered Cas a cup of white tea with honey to help him relax.

 

“You know exactly how to make me feel better,” said Cas with a smile.

 

“It’s not hard, really,” said Dean placing a soft kiss on Cas’ shoulder.

 

“You really are a patient man Dean Winchester,” said Cas after emptying his cup of tea,

 

“Dude you literally saw me dating a shitload of people and being an asshole and you stood by my side for years, you’re the patient one here Cas,” said Dean with a chuckle. Cas didn’t say anything; he just placed his empty cup on the bedside table and then turned around to hold his husband.

 

“Wanna talk until we fall asleep?” asked Dean,

 

“I don’t feel like talking… can you just tell me a story or just talk about anything? I love listening to your voice,” whispered Cas,

 

“Sure… I umm, hey! Did I ever tell you how Nik became your Christmas present all those years ago?” asked Dean. Cas shook his head,

 

“Well, I was actually at the mall trying to find you a present and I overheard this girl talking to some dude, they were like 20 and they were talking about how her brother’s girlfriend was gonna get rid of one of the puppies her dog had because it didn’t have a leg… and I kinda felt sad for the little guy but what could I do? You know? And then her friend told her that it was cruel, that they should just take the puppy to a shelter or something and I remember I just thought ‘I hope they do take him to a shelter, he deserves another chance,’ and then I started thinking how unfair it was, this little dog was born like that, he didn’t ask to be different and he had the right to, well… have a normal life; and the more I heard them the more I thought about Bobby saying those words to me when you were diagnosed and he tried to explain to me why my best friend was different … I ended up following the couple, they were really happy when I told them I’ve heard about the puppy and that I wanted him,” explained Dean.

 

“Thank you,” said Cas smiling.

 

“Tegan was so upset that we forgot his birthday,” said Dean.

 

“Well, she loves him a lot… I can’t believe we forgot; I’m gonna let him have turkey tomorrow,” said Cas.

 

“He’s gonna love thanksgiving,” said Dean smiling.

 

“I just want everyone to be happy tomorrow,” said Cas.

 

“I know,” answered Dean.

 

Cas didn’t say anything for a while, he just stared at Dean and let his mind wander.

 

“Cas, are you okay?” asked Dean after a few minutes. Cas saw Dean’s expression change and then his husband slowly lifted his hand and wiped Cas’ eyes and that was when he noticed, he was crying.

 

“I seem to be crying,” said Cas sounding like a robot. He sat up and tried to breathe,

 

“You hadn’t noticed?” asked Dean; Cas shook his head and then started sobbing,

 

“Oh, fuck,” he whispered,

 

“Cas, babe… are you having a meltdown?” asked Dean worried,

 

“No, I just… I think I’m letting it all out; I’ve been pushing a lot of shit to the back of my head lately,” said Cas between sobs.

 

“Come here,” Dean opened his arms waiting for Cas to decide if he wanted to hug him. Cas looked at his husband for a couple of seconds and then hugged him tight,

 

“I’m sorry,” said Cas between sobs,

 

“There’s nothing to apologize for Cas, just like you said, let it all out… better tonight here with your husband that tomorrow during thanksgiving dinner right?” asked Dean with a chuckle,

 

“There goes my plan of crying in front of everyone after dessert,” answered Cas.

 

Dean held him for almost an hour; Cas kept crying and crying but Dean never let him go. Eventually Cas relaxed in Dean’s arms and at first the Winchester wasn’t sure if his husband had fallen asleep or if he had just stopped crying,

 

“Cas?” he whispered.

 

“I think I finishes crying,” said Cas,

 

“Are you okay man?” asked Dean,

 

“I am now, sorry you had to see that,” said Cas hiding his face on Dean’s chest.

 

“Babe, I love you okay? All of you… we’re going through a lot of shit and it is hard sometimes; I get it. I don’t know how many times I’ll have to tell you this but I don’t think less of you when this kind of things happen okay? That only shows that you care… that I married a man that cares about others and about his family,” whispered Dean.

 

“You should change your shirt, I made a mess,” Said Cas lifting his face from Dean’s soaked shirt.

 

“I’ll just get a dry one and then I’ll hold you in my arms until you fall asleep, okay?” asked Dean.

 

“Thanks,” said Cas. He waited in bed until he felt the mattress move and then he noticed Dean wrapping his arms around him.

 

“Good night Dean, thanks for everything,” said Cas.

 

“You don’t need to thank me babe, we’re a team… we’re in this together,” said Dean.

 

“Like the wildcats?” asked Cas smiling,

 

“Oh man, now I have that stupid song in my head,” said Dean laughing,

 

“You’re welcome,” said Cas.

 

“Dork,” said Dean feeling happy now that he saw his husband a little more relaxed,

 

“What team?” asked Cas teasing Dean.

 

“Oh my god! How did we went from having an emotional moment to freaking High School Musical?” asked Dean laughing.

 

“Life is mysterious like that,” answered Cas.

 

They kept hugging and enjoying each other’s company until they finally fell asleep.

* * *

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Next one is gonna have a lot of emotional moments and fluff. 
> 
> Don't know when I'll be posting it but I'll try to make it soon.
> 
> Have a nice weekend!


	27. Can we be happy today?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly a month after Mike and Jill's accident. 
> 
> The whole family gets together for thanksgiving. Sam and Cas share a nice moment; Chuck is acting weird, there's a wedding to plan and a lot mixed feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'm back... is there people still reading this?
> 
> Sorry it took me this long, I haven't been myself for a while and it took me a few months to realize that depression was back. The moments I don't spend working I spend sleeping or just lying in bed staring at the ceiling... you know how it is.
> 
> This week I slowly started to feel better so I decided to write and finish this chapter. 
> 
> I hope you like it!
> 
> Remember English isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistake.

November 24th

 

It wasn’t usual for Cas to wake up before his husband especially if it was a holiday but that morning a weird dream woke him up.

 

He was lying in bed trying to remember everything about his dream when he heard a little voice coming from the baby monitor,

 

“Milk!” said Leonard. Cas opened his eyes and turned around to see the little boy in the screen of the baby monitor.

 

“Jesus, he’s the cutest alarm clock in the world,” whispered Cas; Dean was still asleep. Curiously, after all the crying and emotional event of the night Cas felt well rested so he decided to get out of bed and let Dean sleep.

* * *

 

After getting Leonard from his room and changing his diaper Cas took him downstairs to the kitchen,

 

“I’m going to get your bottle ready Len,” said Cas. He placed Leonard in his high chair.

 

Cas worked fast on getting a couple of bottles ready while the little boy watched him.

 

“Here you go,” said Cas to Leonard. The boy grabbed the bottle and started drinking happily.

 

“It is kind of early to start breakfast but I could at least start the coffeemaker and the kettle… I need some caffeine in my system to become a functional member of society,” said Cas to Len.

 

Castiel busied himself starting the coffeemaker and gathering everything he would need for his tea,

 

“It’s been a month since your parent’s accident today,” he said to the baby, “I don’t know how time works for you so I don’t know if it feels like it’s been too long since the last time you saw them or if you feel like it’s been only a few days,” said Cas to the boy, “to me it feels both ways to be honest… sometimes it is still hard to comprehend it, it’s weird getting used to the idea,”

 

“Ba,” said Leonard. Cas wasn’t sure it meant anything but it felt like the little boy was encouraging him to keep talking,

 

“I’m really glad you and your siblings are okay Leonard… I felt lost and sad after the accident, and sometimes I still do but I can’t help to think that I’m not doing as bad as I could do… and I’m certain it is because you kids are alive,” said Cas.

 

Leonard just stared at Cas and blinked a couple of times.

 

“But, you know what? Today is a day to be grateful and happy… so let’s change the subject,” said Cas to the little boy, “do you want to talk about something in particular?” he asked.

 

Leonard stopped drinking from his bottle and smiled at Cas.

 

“What if I tell you about… hmm, I know, can you keep a secret? I just found Dean’s perfect Christmas present, he’s going to love it,” said Cas.

 

“Morning,” came a male voice from behind Cas. Castiel jumped startled. He turned around to find Sam leaning on the doorframe, wearing pants and a hoodie. He was sweating and music was still coming out of his earphones.

 

“Jesus fuck,” whispered Cas, “you scared me,”

 

“You just cursed in front of your child,” said Sam smiling, “also, you shouldn’t be talking about Dean’s Christmas present if your back is facing the door, what if he walks into the kitchen and hears you?” asked the Winchester while stopping the music on his phone.

 

“Sorry about the bad word Len,” said Cas blushing, “and you’re right Sam… I guess I’m still half asleep,”

 

“I was just teasing you man… hey, do I smell coffee?” he walked into the kitchen and followed the smell to the coffeemaker.

 

“Yes, want a cup?” asked Cas grabbing a clean mug from the dishwasher,

 

“Yeah, thanks… that’d be great,” said Sam smiling.

 

“I can’t believe you actually woke up early to go for a run… it’s freezing outside,” said Cas handing the mug to Sam.

 

“It helps me relax and I won’t feel that guilty later when I’m shoving all that food in my mouth,” said Sam; he filled his mug with coffee and took a couple of sips.

 

“I guess you’re right,” said Cas. He prepared tea for himself and sat at the kitchen island next to his brother in law.

 

“Talking about ‘I can’t believe it’ moments… what are you doing up so early on a holiday?” asked Sam,

 

“Yeah, I can’t believe it either,” said Cas smiling, “I actually cried a lot last night… I don’t know what happened, I just cried and cried and then I fell asleep and I know I sound pathetic but I think I really needed to cry like that because I feel like I finally got the rest I needed… I woke up early and feeling a lot better; then I heard Leonard in the baby monitor so I decided to get out of bed,”

 

“Wow… that’s cool… I mean, not the part where you were crying, obviously; I meant the part where you feel a lot better.”

 

“Ba… ah,” added Len to the conversation,

 

“Good point Leonard, you made an excellent argument,” said Cas to the baby. Sam chuckled.

 

“What?” asked Cas,

 

“Don’t you think it’s kinda ironic?” asked Sam to his friend,

 

“What do you mean?” asked Castiel squinting his eyes,

 

“Dude, a couple of months ago you didn’t want kids and now you have 3… it was under the worst freaking circumstances but you’re a dad now and you’re pretty good at it… though it really sucks too, I mean… never mind, I really need to put more caffeine in my system before having a conversation that makes sense, ” said Sam awkwardly.

 

“I understand that you’re not trying to be rude,” said Cas, “you were merely stating a fact, and yes it is and ironic and cruel situation… though to be honest my thoughts about being a father are pretty much the same,” he explained.

 

Sam took a swig from his coffee before talking,

 

“Meaning…?” asked the Winchester sounding confused.

 

“Don’t get me wrong… I love them and I’m glad that they’re alive and healthy; I’m happy to help them and I’m working very hard for them to have a good and happy life… but I still think that I shouldn’t be a father,” he took a deep breath and looked at Len, “I still think that they don’t deserve to have a parent like me,”

 

“Cas, are you crazy?” asked Sam.

 

“Sam… is not that I don’t like kids, okay? Is just that- you know the reason I didn’t want to become a father was because I didn’t want them to deal with the whole Asperger’s situation,” said Cas, “at first, when Dean expressed his desire to have a baby, he wanted us to have a biological child and I was so scared… I didn’t want to pass this to another child; he understood and then he said we could maybe adopt, and I was even more scared because I didn’t want to force a child to grow up with a father like me,”

 

“So basically, you didn’t want to expose the kid to a life that involved Asperger’s,” said Sam,

 

“I know it sounds stupid Sam but to me it is something huge… and now here I am, with 3 kids, one of them in the spectrum; it really scares me how they’re going to react to this whole situation… I mean, how do you explain it to a little kid? I was 8 when I was diagnosed and even then it wasn’t easy to understand… it took me a few years to finally come to terms with it,” explained Cas.

 

“So, basically you’re scared your kids will judge you,” said Sam,

 

“I’m scared they won’t know how to react to this when we explain it to them… I’m scared they’re going to feel it is too much to handle and that it would be better if they moved with someone else… I’m terrified they won’t see me the same way; I will never be a normal parent,”

 

“Cas, you’re overthinking this man… they already know you the way you are and that’s what’s ‘normal’ for them… besides you’re forgetting something,” said Sam,

 

“What?” asked Cas,

 

“You’ve already lived with 3 kids that learned at a young age about your Asperger’s and they kept loving you and treating you like one of them,” stated Sam as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

 

“I don’t…” Cas squinted his eyes and waited for Sam to keep talking,

 

“Dude! Gabe, Dean and I,” said Sam rolling his eyes.

 

“Gosh, you’re right… I never thought about it from that angle; I mean, yes, you literally were 3 kids growing up with someone with Asperger’s… and you were the best friends I could’ve wished for. You guys never judged me or made fun of me,” said Cas.

 

“See? We never saw it as something bad and I’m pretty sure growing up like that made us more open minded and less judgmental… your kids are gonna be like that. I mean, they’re kinda like that already… with this weird modern family we have,”

 

“Wow… I have a lot of thinking to do,” whispered Cas.

 

“I understand you’re scared man… I keep freaking out about the baby. What if they don’t like me? What if I suck at being a dad? What if they don’t like the paint we chose for the nursery?” asked Sam.

 

Cas smiled.

 

“This is so weird,” said Castiel,

 

“Why?” asked Sam,

 

“I never pictured us talking about our children and being parents and all that stuff; I mean, I know I can talk to you about anything but I never thought it would end up being about this,” said Cas with a chuckle.

 

“Yeah well, good to know we can freak out together,” said Sam smiling and feeling a little more relaxed.

 

“Cheers,” said Cas raising his cup. Sam laughed followed Cas’ example.

 

Len giggled and raised his bottle in the air.

 

“He’s so cute,” said Sam.

 

The sound of footsteps interrupted the moment,

 

“Morning,” said Dean walking into the kitchen holding Al’s hand,

 

“Morning,” answered Cas and Sam at the same time.

 

“I kinda freaked out when I didn’t see you in bed when I woke up,” said Dean lifting Alan to place him in his highchair,

 

“Why?” asked Cas; he handed his bottle to Al and ruffled his hair.

 

“No offense babe but you’re never up this early on a holiday… I thought I had overslept for at least 3 hours if you were already out of bed,” said Dean.

 

“Sam couldn’t believe it either when he found me in the kitchen,” said Cas,

 

“Are you feeling okay?” asked Dean looking worried,

 

“Yes, I just woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep and then Len started asking for his milk,” explained Castiel.

 

“Best freaking alarm clock in the world,” said Dean looking at Leonard.

 

“Bah-ah-p-p-tp,” Leonard put his hand in his mouth and started ‘talking’.

* * *

 

 

An hour later Cas, Dean, Jess, Sam and the twins were sitting at the table ready to have breakfast,

 

“Should we wake Tegan up?” asked Cas. He placed the orange juice and milk on the table.

 

“It’s 8:30 in the morning, I guess it’s still early and she went to bed kinda late last night,” said Dean.

 

“But she’s going to miss breakfast with the family,” said Cas. Right in that moment they heard the sound of a door being closed upstairs followed by Nik barking.

 

“Never mind, she’s up,” said Dean.

 

Not even a minute later Tegan joined them in the kitchen,

 

“Morning sleeping beauty,” said Dean.

 

“Morning,” said Tegan rubbing her eyes,

 

“Did you sleep well?” asked Cas,

 

“Yeah,” she yawned,” I was having a nice dream but then Nik woke me up, I think he wants to go to the bathroom,” said Tegan. Nik kept running in and out the kitchen and barking at his owners,

 

“Please take him to the backyard,” said Cas, “and wear a jacket,”

 

“Okay,” she said with sleep still in her eyes.

 

“I’ll go with you,” said Jess. She stood up and followed Tegan out of the kitchen.

 

“Is it a Novak thing to look miserable when you wake up in the morning?” asked Sam chuckling,

 

“Yep,” said Dean. Cas rolled his eyes.

 

“She looked so upset,” said Sam smiling,

 

“You should see her in school days, she basically eats her breakfast asleep,” said Dean.

 

“Was Mike like that too?” asked Sam,

 

“Dad says he was exactly like that, I think it is one of the few things we had in common… Gabriel though, I don’t think he sleeps,” said Cas.

 

“It’s all that sugar he’s always eating,” said Sam.

 

Dean’s phone started ringing,

 

“Huh, that’s weird,” he said when he saw the screen, “hey Chuck,” he answered,

 

Sam and Cas looked at him confused, why was Chuck calling Dean instead of Cas?

 

“Yeah, we’re about to have breakfast; how about you? Feeling better?” asked Dean.

 

“Everything okay?” whispered Cas. Dean nodded.

 

“Yeah, she’s outside with Jess and Nik… wait a minute,” said Dean; he stood up and put the phone in silence, “he wants to talk to Tegan,” he left the kitchen to go look for Tegs.

 

“This is odd,” said Cas,

 

“Your dad’s kinda odd Cas,” said Sam,

 

“Yeah,”

 

Dean, Jess and Tegan came back to the kitchen; Tegan talking on the phone with her grandfather.

 

“Yes, I know… no, I’m okay… yes I would like that,” she said to her grandpa.

 

“Did he tell you why he wanted to talk to her?” asked Cas,

 

“No, he just said he had an idea this morning and that he needed to talk to her,” said Dean with a shrug.

 

“Uncle Dean, grandpa Chuck wants to talk to you again,” said Tegan handing him the phone. Dean nodded and grabbed it,

 

“Hi Chuck, what’s going on?” he asked,

 

“Hi Dean, sorry if this was a weird phone call… it’s just that today it’s been a month since the accident and I was wondering if I could pick up Tegan later and take her to the cemetery to visit her parents; I’ve missed my family a lot and, I don’t know, today I woke up feeling like I need to spend some time with her,” explained Chuck.

 

“That’s cool man, I don’t see why not; the twins are too young to understand the whole cemetery thing and I’m sure Tegs is gonna love spending some time with you, let me just ask Cas,” said Dean. He put the phone on silence again.

 

“Your dad wants to spend the morning with Tegan, he wants to take her to the cemetery… you okay with it?” asked Dean.

 

“Oh, yeah… If Tegan wants to go then I don’t see why not,” said Castiel.

 

“I wanna go,” said Tegan nodding. Dean smiled and then he turned on the sound on his phone again,

 

“Chuck? Yeah, she’s in… she’s about to have breakfast… yeah, she’ll be ready in an hour, okay, see you later then, bye,” Dean finished the call and put his phone back in his pocket.

 

“Did he say anything else?” asked Cas,

 

“No, just that he’ll pick her up in an hour,” said Dean with a shrug.

 

“I wonder why he choose to call you instead of me,” said Cas,

 

“I have no idea, he probably thought you would be sleeping,” answered Dean,

 

“Yes, probably,” said Cas.

 

“I’m hungry,” said Tegan.

 

“C’mon… breakfast time,” said Dean.

* * *

 

 

“Hello dad,” said Cas when he opened the door,

 

“Castiel,” said Chuck. Cas let his father in and then closed the door behind them,

 

“Did you rest?” asked Cas; Chuck remained at the foyer, he looked like he was in a hurry and ready to leave,

 

“Yeah, I slept like a baby, I guess I missed my bed,” said Chuck staring at his feet.

 

“I’m glad to hear that; I thought Gabe would be with you,” said Cas,

 

“He had a lot of things to do at the bakery, you know how it gets during thanksgiving,” replied Chuck,

 

“That’s why I thought it was weird from him to visit you on tour so close to thanksgiving… he said his employees had everything under control but I guess they didn’t,” said Cas. Chuck nodded and directed his eyes to the stairs,

 

“Tegan will be ready in a minute, do you want to say hi to the boys in the meantime?” asked Cas. Chuck nodded and followed Cas to the living room.

 

“Gosh, they look so big,” said Chuck when he found Sam sitting on the floor playing with Leonard. Alan was sitting next to them playing with Nik.

 

“Hi Chuck,” said Sam waving, “guys say hi to your grandpa,”

 

“I,” said Len. Alan looked at Chuck, smiled and then returned his attention to the dog.

 

“Look at you, I swear you weren’t this big when I left,” he sat next to Sam and hugged Leonard,

 

“A lot of things happened during these weeks, we’ve got a lot to tell you and I want to hear about the tour, how is it going so far?” asked Cas.

 

“I… It’s been fine Cas; I mean, you know how it is,” said Chuck avoiding again his son's gaze.

 

“When do you have to go back?” asked Sam,

 

“Sunday morning,” said Chuck.

 

“Grandpa Chuck!” yelled Tegan with excitement when she walked into the living room.

 

“Tegan! Are you ready sweetheart?” asked Chuck standing up.

 

“Yep,” she said.

 

“Okay, let’s go then… We have a couple of things to do and I promised your uncle Gabe we would visit him at the bakery too. Is it okay if we take her for lunch?”

 

“Yes, I don’t see why not,” said Cas,

 

“Awesome,” she said. Dean walked into the room carrying Tegan’s jacket.

 

“Hi Chuck,” he said,

 

“Hello Dean, how are you?” asked Chuck. He took Tegan’s jacket from Dean’s hand.

 

“Fine, a lot of stuff’s been going on lately… but we can talk about it at dinner, I know you guys have a busy morning ahead,” said Dean. Cas placed himself next to his husband,

 

“And maybe you could tell us more about the tour later too,” said Castiel.

 

“Yeah… well, gotta go,” said Chuck.

 

“Goodbye everybody, see you later,” said Tegan. She took her grandpa’s hand and they left the room.

 

Once they heard the main door closing, Cas turned around to look at Dean and Sam,

 

“I swear, he’s acting weird,” said Castiel.

 

“He seemed fine to me,” said Dean,

 

“Maybe he’s just tired from the tour,” said Sam with a shrug.

 

“I don’t know… I think he was avoiding me,” said Cas.

 

“Well… he was kinda giving short answers… maybe he wasn’t in the mood to talk about the tour,” said Sam.

 

“I just hope he’s alright, I don’t mind if he doesn’t want to talk as long as he feels fine,” said Cas.

 

“A morning with Tegs will help him feel better babe, don’t worry about it,” said Dean.

 

“You’re right,” said Cas smiling.

* * *

 

 

“Where are we going first?” asked Tegan sitting on the backseat of Chuck’s car.

 

“To buy some flowers,” said Chuck.

 

“Why?” asked Tegan,

 

“It is a tradition to take flowers when you visit someone you love at the cemetery,” he explained. Tegan looked at the sky from her window for a couple of seconds,

 

“You think my mommy and daddy will see the flowers from heaven and feel happy?” asked the little girl,

 

“Yes,” said Chuck with a sad smile. They remained silent for almost 5 minutes after that,

 

“I miss them,” she said suddenly,

 

“Me too sweetheart,” admitted Chuck,

 

“How long have they been gone?” she asked,

 

“Exactly a month,” said Chuck,

 

“A month has 30 days, sometimes 31... February has only 28,” she said,

 

“That’s right,” said Chuck after taking a deep breath,

 

“Is 30 days a lot of time?” asked Tegan,

 

“Sometimes it feels like it and sometimes it feels like it happens really fast… it’s weird,” said Chuck,

 

“Like going to church?” asked Tegan with a serious expression.

 

Chuck couldn’t help it, he snorted; he knew Tegan wasn’t joking but he found the question hilarious.

 

“What do you mean?” he asked,

 

“Because daddy said it was only an hour but it felt like it lasted 300 hours sometimes,” she said. Chuck nodded,

 

“Have you been going to church here in Sioux Falls?” he asked. He wasn’t a religious man, he believed in God and went to church from time to time but after Naomi’s obsession with religion he had decided to keep his distance, still he knew Michael was a practicing catholic and that he took his family to church every Sunday; Maybe Tegan missed that too,

 

“Nope… Uncle Dean and uncle Cas don’t go to church on Sundays,” she said,

 

“Right, I forgot,” said Chuck,

 

“Why don’t they go?” asked Tegan,

 

“Well Tegs, I’m pretty sure you have a lot of friends in school right?” he asked,

 

“Yeah,” answered Tegan,

 

“Do you know what a religion is?” he asked,

 

“It’s like when you go to church and pray?” she asked,

 

“Kind of… do you have friends from other religions?” asked Chuck; the conversation had taken a weird turn,

 

“I don’t know… What’s other religion?” she asked,

 

“Do you have Muslim friends or Jewish? Do you have friends that celebrate Hanukah?” asked Chuck,

 

“Oh! Yes… Miss Milton said all the families have different traditions and that some families have Christmas and other families have other traditions… we talked about it in class and then Miss Milton said we’re gonna make decorations to share our traditions with the other kids,” explained Tegan,

 

“That sounds great,” said Chuck,

 

“Are uncle Cas and uncle Dean from other religion?” asked Tegan,

 

“This is a complicated subject… I believe you should ask them later,” said Chuck,

 

“Okay… but we’re having Christmas this year right?” she asked sounding concerned,

 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it sweetheart,” answered Chuck smiling. He parked outside a small flower shop, “c’mon, let’s go get some beautiful flowers for your parents”.

* * *

 

 

“Where are you guys going?” asked Dean when he saw Jess and Cas walking into the living room wearing their jackets and hats. Dean and Sam were drinking a couple of beers and talking while they kept an eye on the twins.

 

“I feel like going for a walk and Cas needs to get something from the store so I’m going with him,” said Jess,

 

“We’re out of aluminum foil and I want to buy some strawberries for tomorrow’s breakfast,” said Cas.

 

“You sure you don’t want me to drive you?” Asked Sam,

 

“No, we’re cool… besides, this weekend we’re gonna have a full house and I’m sure you two need some time to catch up and annoy each other,” answered Jess with a smile,

 

“Call if you need anything,” said Dean,

 

“See you in a while,” said Cas,

 

“Take care of these two,” added Jess,

 

“Will do,” said Sam,

 

“I was talking to the boys,” she said before turning around chuckling

* * *

 

 

After picking the flowers and stopping for gas, Chuck and Tegan finally made it to the cemetery.

 

Chuck parked his car close to the section where Jill and Mike’s graves where and then he walked holding hands with his granddaughter.

 

Tegan didn’t say anything while they walked, she only stared at the gravestones and the flowers; she saw people in different parts of the cemetery placing flowers and surrounding the graves of their loved ones.

 

“Here we are,” said Chuck when they reached Jill and Mike’s gravestones.

 

“Hi mommy, hi daddy,” whispered Tegan. Chuck placed his flowers on the ground, over the graves and Tegan followed his action.

 

“What do we do now?” asked Tegan.

 

“I don’t know,” whispered Chuck, his voice breaking, “Do you want to say something to them?” he asked,

 

“Hmm… I hope you’re doing okay in heaven; do you listen to me when I talk to you before bedtime? Uncle Dean says you can and that it makes you happy to see that I’m happy. I miss you a lot… I miss your hugs mommy,” she shed a couple of silent tears and stopped talking. Chuck handed her his handkerchief and she wiped her tears.

 

“Do you want to say anything else?” asked Chuck. Tegan shook her head,

 

“I talk to them every night, grandma Jody and uncle Dean say they can hear me whenever I talk to them… though, well, no…” she looked at the ground with a weird mix of sadness and confusion on her face.

 

“What is it?” asked Chuck,

 

“I want to ask them something but I don’t want them to be sad and… I don’t know how I will get an answer… I always talk to them before going to bed but they don’t talk to me,” she said,

 

“You should ask them, it’s never a good idea to keep stuff locked inside our hearts and minds,” said Chuck with a sad chuckle, he felt like a hypocrite saying those words.

 

“But how will I know the answer?” she asked looking confused,

 

“I think, sweetheart, that deep in your heart you’ll now,” he said.

 

“Umm… can you cover your ears?” she asked to her grandpa,

 

“Oh, is this a private conversation?” asked Chuck. She nodded.

 

“Okay, i'll tell you what,” said Chuck grabbing a few flowers from the ones he had left over the graves, “do you see that big tree?” he pointed to his left, there, about 30 feet away, was a huge tree covered with yellow and orange leaves,

 

“Yep,” she said,

 

“Well, over there is the grave of someone I know, I’m gonna go and leave him this flowers while you talk to your parents, okay? I can see you perfectly from there and you can see me too… I’ll give you 5 minutes, okay?” Tegan looked at her grandpa and then to the big tree then she nodded.

 

“Okay, see you in five minutes then,” said Chuck, he turned around and started walking.

* * *

 

 

“Do you want another beer?” asked Sam to his brother. They were still hanging in the living room while watching the twins play.

 

“Nah, maybe later… don’t think it’s a good idea to be drinking while we’re taking care of the boys,” said Dean.

 

“Right,” said Sam looking at the twins.

 

“So… is it hard to be a dad?” asked Sam. Dean chuckled but when he looked at his brother in the eye he felt like he was suddenly in front of little 7-year-old Sammy. He looked a little scared but hopeful… or at least he looked like he was trying to be brave.

 

“Man, they’ve only been here for a month,” said Dean,

 

“Yes, but your lives changed completely the day they arrived,” replied Sam,

 

“Okay, I know you’re scared and you have all the right in the world to be man… it is the scariest shit that’s gonna happen ever in your life but at the same time it’s one of the happiest ones to,” said Dean, he turned his attention to the twins and smiled.

 

“I’m just scared our lives are gonna change a lot and it freaks me out… crap, I’ve never told this to Jess,” he took a deep breath, “please tell me it is normal,”

 

“Before we brought the kids home, Cas and I had a talk… we made a pact; we need to keep being ourselves and being a team because that’s the only way this can work and sometimes we need to stop and remind each other about that talk… it’s not an easy job man, the first week I felt tired every single day and I was really worried about Cas’ mental health but we’ve managed… but yeah, at first we both were scared about the changes, I mean is not like deciding on the color for your kitchen walls or buying a pair of pants, this is huge man,” explained Dean.

 

“What has been the biggest change?” asked Sam,

 

“Well first of all, our routine, I had to change my work hours, we need to wake up earlier to get Tegan ready for school and have breakfast as a family… I get to have lunch at home every day now, that’s cool… Cas is our rock to be honest; he’s the one in charge… I gotta say though that what’s changed the most is our time together, we value it more now, the few minutes we get alone to talk after the kids go to bed, the five minutes we take to talk and cuddle in the morning before getting up and getting the kids ready for the day,” he kept smiling while talking,

 

“Wow, you’ve really turned these kids into your priority,” said Sam,

 

“Welcome to being responsible for a little human being,” said Dean. Sam smiled.

 

“Any advice?” asked Sam,

 

“Yeah, have sex, all the sex you can now, while you still have the time and the energy,” said Dean.

 

Sam snorted but when he saw his brother’s face he knew he wasn’t kidding.

 

“You’re not joking,” said Sam,

 

“Nope,” Dean answered,

 

“It can’t be that bad,” said Sam feeling his brother was overreacting,

 

“Wanna know how many times we’ve done it since they moved in?” asked Dean with a daring tone.

 

“I really don’t know if I wanna hear the answer to that question,” said Sam. Dean just kept looking at him, “okay, I’ll bite… how many times?” asked Sam,

 

“One… well two if we count the other night when I went down on…”

 

“TMI!” Said Sam covering his ears.

 

“Sorry, the point is… we’ve only had proper sex once and that was just because Charlie offered to babysit while we went on a date and then she stayed the night to take care of the kids and let us have a little fun… oh and the other night we almost did it but we fell asleep while making out and with half our clothes still on,”

 

“Jesus,” whispered Sam,

 

“We’ve agreed to go on a date at least once a month, so that’ll help… and I’m sure we’ll create a system eventually, it’s not like they’re with us all the time but... we're kinda scared they could walk in on us or hear us, or I don’t know,” said Dean,

 

“Man… I haven’t even considered that… I should talk to Jess about it,” said Sam.

 

“Yep,” said Dean. The alarm of his phone interrupted them, “Oh crap, I need to start with the dinner preparations, this year I’m in charge of the turkey,” he announced,

 

“Need any help?” asked Sam,

 

“Yeah, let’s take these two to the kitchen with us so we can start cooking,” said Dean standing up.

* * *

 

 

By the time Jess and Cas returned from the store Dean was buttering the turkey and Sam had already peeled all the potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots they would need for dinner.

 

“We’re back!” announced Jess walking into the kitchen,

 

“I,” said Len,

 

“Hi sweetheart,” she ruffled his hair. Cas walked right behind her carrying 6 plastic bags of groceries,

 

“Man, I thought you were only getting tinfoil and strawberries,” said Dean when he turned around and saw his husband,

 

“Yes but we also decided to buy something to make a light lunch for today, since we’re gonna have a heavy dinner,”

 

“I hope you don’t mind, I was craving a grilled cheese sandwich,” said Jess,

 

“Sounds fine, and the kids are gonna love it,” said Dean smiling.

 

“So… I see you’ve started getting everything ready for dinner,” said Jess,

 

“I’m in charge of the turkey this year,” said Dean, “Sam’s gonna make smashed potatoes, Jody is gonna bring pasta, Charlie and Dorothy are in charge of the drinks, Bobby’s gonna make garlic bread and Gabe’s bringing the pies,”

 

“Looks like everything’s under control,” said Jessica,

 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” answered Dean winking at her,

 

“Jess do you want to help me put all these stuff in the pantry?” asked Cas while taking the groceries out of the bags,

 

“Of course,” she washed her hands and a minute later the 4 Winchesters were working hard in the kitchen.

* * *

 

 

Chuck turned around on his seat to make sure that Tegan had buckled up,

 

“Are you ready to go?” he asked,

 

“Yep,” answered Tegan.

 

The moment they left the cemetery Tegan pressed her face against the window and started looking at the sky, it looket like she was looking for something. Chuck saw her through the rear-view mirror and sighed,

 

“Are you okay sweetheart?” he asked worried. It took Tegan a couple of seconds to answer,

 

“Yeah,” she said,

 

“Seems like your mind is somewhere else,” he said,

 

“I am waiting for a sign,” she whispered,

 

“A sign?” asked Chuck confused,

 

“I asked something to my mommy and my daddy and I know they can’t answer me but I asked them to send me a sign,” she explained,

 

“Oh, well… your sign will come when you less expect it Tegan; that’s how it’s supposed to work, you don’t try to find your sign… your sign finds you,” said Chuck,

 

“Okay,” she nodded and sat up straight again. They remained silent for a while after that.

 

“Grandpa Chuck,” said Tegan,

 

“Yes?”

 

“Your friend you visited in the cemetery when I was talking to my mommy and daddy… who’s there?” she asked,

 

“Oh… well, that grave belongs to a boy called Owen Mills,” said Chuck,

 

“Mills? Like grandma Jody?” asked Tegan,

 

“Yes, Owen was her son,” answered Chuck wondering if it was a proper conversation to have with a 5 year old who had recently lost both her parents,

 

“What happened to him? Was he a baby?”

 

“He was really sick sweetie and the doctors did everything they could but they couldn’t save him… he was, he was only eight years old,” explained Chuck.

 

“That’s really sad,”

 

“I know and just like us, for a while Jody was sad and confused but with time she moved on, kept going with her life and well, now she’s gonna get married with Bobby and she’s going to be Sam and Dean’s new stepmom,” said Chuck. For a moment he wasn’t sure if he was trying to make Tegan or himself feel better.

 

“Oh, that’s right! She’s gonna be their new mom!” said Tegan,

 

“You could say so, yeah,” answered Chuck. Tegan smiled widely and looked at the sky again,

 

“Grandpa Chuck,”

 

“Yes?”

 

“If you get a girlfriend and then you get married I would have another grandma and then your sons would have a new mom too,” explained Tegan.

 

Luckily Tegan couldn’t see the color draining from Chuck’s face. He wasn’t expecting those words from his granddaughter. Did she know something? No, there was no way in hell she could know… the only one who knew was Gabriel and he swore he wouldn’t say anything,

 

“Look! Is Uncle Gabe,” Yelled Tegan. Chuck didn’t know how but he had managed to park the car and now Gabriel was waving at them from one of the windows of the bakery.

  

“C’mon Gabriel is waiting for us,” he added after taking a deep breath.

* * *

 

 

Dean opened the front door to find Chuck carrying a sleeping Tegan.

 

“Hi, did you have a good time?” asked Dean,

 

“She fell asleep on our way back here,” Chuck said. Dean smiled and took her in his arms,

 

“I’ll take her to her room, wanna come in?” asked Dean,

 

“I better go, I still need to get ready for tonight and Gabe asked me to give Bert a bath,” answered Chuck,

 

“Okay, see you in a few hours then,” said Dean with a nod,

 

“Goodbye Dean,” said Chuck.

 

 

Dean took Tegan upstairs; he carried her to her room and placed her on her bed. She stirred and opened one eye,

 

“Hi,” said Dean,

 

“Is it thanksgiving time?” she asked looking confused,

 

“No Tegs; everyone will be here at five, take your nap sweetie…. I’ll wake you up in an hour so you can get ready for dinner, okay?” he said taking her shoes off,

 

“Okay,” she closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

Dean returned to the kitchen where he found Jess stirring something on the stove, Cas pouring ingredients in a bowl on the kitchen island and Sam reading from a cookbook,

 

“Where are Chuck and Tegan?” asked Sam,

 

“Chuck just dropped her and left, he had stuff to do; she fell asleep in the car so I took her to her room,” said Dean,

 

“That’s fine, she needs to recharge batteries for dinner,” said Cas. 20 minutes earlier they had taken the twins upstairs to take a nap to.

 

“Yeah, I told her we’d wake her up in an hour,” said Dean, “where was I?” he asked,

 

“You were about to make coffee and tea for everyone,” said Sam,

 

“Right,” said Dean. He moved towards the coffeemaker and the kettle and started to work, “how’s that stuffing going?” he asked to Jess,

 

“It smells amazing, I think everyone’s gonna love this recipe,” said Jess,

 

“I still think it’s too much, we’re already adding bacon to the mashed potatoes, is a bacon stuffing really necessary?” asked Sam,

 

“Sam, bacon is what keeps this world going,” said Dean. Sam rolled his eyes,

 

“Besides, I’m craving bacon which means your baby wants bacon and you wouldn’t deny anything to your unborn child, would you?” added Jess with a smirk.

 

Sam didn’t say anything, he just sighed and started grating cheese in silence.

* * *

 

 

Half an hour later, Dean was putting the cookies in the oven while Cas and Jess went to the storage room to look for the nice china and silverware for the dinner.

 

Sam wanted to help Cas but Jess insisted she could do it and she promised she wouldn’t carry any heavy object.

 

It was really cold outside, Cas opened the door of the storage room and they walked in as fast as they could to avoid the cold of the exterior,

 

“Wow, this place looks crowded,” said Jess when Cas turned on the light,

 

“Well, most of those boxes still contain things from Jill and Mike, I haven’t touched anything, I’m still waiting for the reading of the will,” explained Sam,

 

“So what’s in there like valuable stuff?” asked Jess,

 

“Yes, jewelry, books, photo albums, a lot of papers…” he said,

 

“Are you ready to hear what they left said in their wills?” asked Jess. Cas walked towards the end of the room, and Jess followed him.

 

“I don’t know… I feel like, when it happens,” he grabbed a big box marked with ‘Halloween stuff’ from a shelf and put it on the floor, “this is going to finally be real, you know?” he said,

 

“It already feels too real to me, but I get what you say… I guess it’ll give us closure and, I don’t know, I hope we don’t end up crying and feeling miserable after we read it,” she said.

 

Cas moved to the floor the box marked with ‘Christmas lights’ and then he finally found the one with the fancy china,

 

“I really hope not, especially for the kids… we’ve been able to create a happy environment for them and they seem to be happy, I mean, Tegan sometimes ask about her parents and tells us she misses them but she never cries and the school therapist says she’s doing great,” said Cas grabbing the box in front of him, “now we need to find the cutlery,” he added.

 

“I think I just saw the box,” said Jess grabbing the box behind the one Cas had just moved. “Yep, got it,” she informed him.

 

“Well, this was fast,” said Cas.

 

“Cas,” she said almost in a whisper.

 

“What is it?” he asked,

 

“I know people have been asking you this the whole month but… how are you?” she asked,

 

“A little better every day I guess… it’s weird, some days I wake up feeling fine and I’m so busy with the kids and the house that I don’t have time to feel sad but… there are other days when the most stupid shit makes me cry; I’m pretty sure it is normal and I’ve been in contact with Dr. Norton,” he said. Jess nodded.

 

“The second day I went back to work after we came to the funeral and all that… a little girl came into the ER, she was in a car crash and it was bad, we worked really hard and we almost lost her for a moment but she made it, and I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff in the ER, sad things, happy things and even WTF things and I’m kinda used to not having a reaction but, when I heard the name of the girl, I lost it… she was called Jill,” explained Jess, “man as soon as I heard the name I had to run out of the room and I ended up locked in the janitor’s closet crying for like half an hour,”

 

“I had no idea,” said Cas,

 

“I asked Sam not to tell you,” she confessed,

 

“We’re here for you Jessica, just as we know you’re always there for us too,” said Cas,

 

“Thanks Cas”. They placed their boxes in the floor and hugged for a long time. They both shed a couple of tears but the moment never became sad, it was more about family and being there for each other,

 

“We should go back,” said Cas letting go of Jess and lifting his box,

 

“Yeah,” she said wiping her tears.

* * *

 

 

“Hey, what took you so long?” asked Sam when they walked back into the kitchen; Dean turned around to greet them and when he saw Cas’ face he rushed to his side,

 

“What happened?” he asked worried,

 

“Nothing,” said Cas placing his box on the kitchen table,

 

“Your eyes,” said Dean cupping Cas’ cheek,

 

“Dean, I’m okay… we just had like a brother and sister moment, okay? We talked, laughed and cried a little but we’re fine,” said Cas rolling his eyes,

 

“You sure?” asked Dean,

 

“I’m sure,” said Cas with a sight. Dean nodded and pressed a soft kiss to Cas’ forehead,

 

“Okay then, let’s keep working, the table still needs to be set, the cookies are almost ready, I need to put the turkey in the oven, the blueberry sauce isn’t ready yet… and we have to wake up the kids in like 10 minutes,” said Dean.

 

Cas smiled and after giving his husband a quick peck on the lips he followed Jess to the dining room.

* * *

 

 

Getting the kids ready with 4 adults in the house turned out to be pretty easy. It even allowed Cas to take a little nap in his room to get ready for the evening.

 

By 4:47 Sam, Dean, Jess, Cas and the kids were all ready and waiting for their guests. They were in the living room.

 

Nik came in running and Alan followed him clapping and giggling,

 

“I swear Nik is his favorite inhabitant of this house,” said Dean looking at the boy.

 

“I’ve noticed, it’s cool though; he’s happy… and running, man… a few months ago he could barely walk,” said Sam,

 

“Yeah,” said Dean smiling,

 

“I’m obsessed with the turkey onesies by the way, where did you get them?” asked Jess; she was painting Tegan’s nails.

 

“Charlie,” said Dean and Cas at the same time,

 

“We’ll save them so your baby can wear them next year, how ‘bout that?” asked Dean,

 

“Oh, I would love it,” said Jess smiling.

 

The doorbell rang a couple of times interrupting their conversation,

 

“I’ll get it,” said Cas standing up. He returned a minute later with Charlie and Dorothy behind him,

 

“Hello family!” said Charlie.

 

Five minutes later the house was filled with loud conversations and laughter.

* * *

 

 

Gabe and Tish were the last to arrive; he had been really busy in the bakery the whole day.

 

“Sorry we’re late,” said Gabe walking into the kitchen with Bert following him,

 

“Man, the important thing is that the pie is finally here,” said Dean with a smirk, Charlie snorted.

 

Tegan came running into the kitchen,

 

“Uncle Gabe is here! We can finally have dinner! I’m starving!” she said with exasperation.

 

“Sorry kiddo,” said Gabe, “C’mon I’ll help you take the stuff to the table… you go and tell everybody to sit on their places, okay?”

 

“Okay,” she answered and then she ran back to the living room.

* * *

 

Dinner was quiet; they dedicated a minute of silence to Jill and Mike and then Chuck gave a small speech about family and about how thankful he was for the fact that the kids were healthy and happy. Nobody said the words “I’m thankful because the kids weren’t in LA when the accident happened” but that seemed to be the general opinion.

 

They were about to finish dinner when Tegan cleared her throat and said,

 

“I thought this was supposed to be a party,” Everyone stopped eating and looked at her,

 

“Well, it is a family gathering… Thanksgiving is for spending time with our loved ones and to share what we’re grateful for,” said Cas,

 

“Yes, I know that… but tonight is boring, last year we had a lot of fun,” said Tegan. The previous thanksgiving was the first time the twins visited Sioux Falls, they were almost five months old.

 

“Sweetheart,” said Dean,

 

“I miss mommy and daddy too… but you promised we wouldn’t be sad forever, that sometimes we could be happy too, can we be happy today?” she asked Dean,

 

“You know what? You’re right,” said Dean, “I know we’re all sad but… like Chuck said before, we should be grateful that our family is here, it’s not everyday that we’re together,”

 

“Thanks,” she said with a smile,

 

“Okay, I think it’s time for desert… we need to add a little flavor to this party and nothing like a hot drink and a nice slice of pie to make us feel better,” said Gabe standing up. Charlie and Dean cleaned the table while Gabe and Dorothy took care of bringing the pie, coffee and tea. Cas went upstairs with Jess to change the twins’ diapers.

* * *

 

 

They had 4 different kinds of pie… cherry, pumpkin, apple and pecan. Dean tried a slice of each of course,

 

“You’re a pig,” said Sam to his brother,

 

Dean didn’t reply, he simply grabbed another slice of pumpkin pie just to annoy Sam,

 

“Dean, if you end up getting sick just because you’re trying to upset your brother I swear to god you’re sleeping on the couch,” said Cas. Charlie snorted.

 

“Last slice, I promise,” said Dean. Cas rolled his eyes.

 

“I still don’t know how I managed to make enough money to feed you two,” said Bobby pinching the bridge of his nose.

 

“One of the mysteries of the universe,” said Cas handing a small slice of cherry pie to Tegan, “do you want to try the pie boys?” he asked to the twins. Alan was sitting between Chuck and Cas whilst Leonard was between Cas and Dean.

 

“What about apple pie? Both of you enjoy apples,” said Cas cutting a slice and placing it on his plate. He put some pie on the tip of his spoon and fed it to Alan; the little boy smiled and clapped,

 

“I cannot describe how happy I feel every time we find a food he likes,” said Cas smiling. He repeated the action but this time he gave the pie to Len who ate it with gusto.

 

Dean felt secretly proud of his boys; they liked pie! Cas split the pie in two plates and handed one plate to Dean so he could help him feed Len.

 

Alan finished his pie in record time and the whole family kept smiling and taking pictures of the boys, he was giggling and clapping the whole time.

 

“Oh my god, I didn’t know Dean as a baby but I’m pretty sure he looked like that when he had pie the first time,” said Dorothy.

 

“Pie is awesome dude, the kid has good taste,” said Dean smiling.

 

“Okay Alan, you finished your dessert… you can have more tomorrow if you eat all your lunch, okay?” said Cas. Cas cleaned the boy’s face and then turned around to check on Leonard.

 

Alan knew there was more pie and he wanted to keep eating, it was delicious. He pulled the sleeve of Cas’ sweater and when Castiel turned around the little boy pointed at the pies on the table,

 

“No Al, you already had enough… I don’t want you to have a sugar rush,” said Cas to the little boy. And then, as if he knew exactly how to convince Castiel, he pointed at the pie again,

 

“Papa!” he said. Chuck dropped his spoon,

 

“Holly fuck,” said Dean,

 

“Dean!” said Bobby,

 

“Sorry it’s just… he, I’ve never heard him say that,” said Dean,

 

“Well, little man is really smart, he knows how to make you happy,” said Bobby,

 

“Is it wrong that now I feel like I should give him all the pie he wants?” asked Cas,

 

“Dude, I want that as my ring tone,” said Dean,

 

“Can you say it again Al?” asked Cas. The boy chuckled and pointed at the pie.

 

“Papa,” said Alan out loud. Cas smiled and gave him just one more spoonful of pie. Leonard figured it out pretty soon too and he tried to do the same,

 

“Pa- pa!” he yelled. Dean laughed out loud.

 

“I can’t believe these two,” he said grabbing more pie for Leonard too.

 

“You’re so screwed,” said Gabe,

 

“Wait till they learn how to say your name,” said Dean. Everyone at the table was incredibly happy; Cas even noticed that Chuck shed a couple of silent tears while he smiled.

* * *

 

 

After dessert and the surprise of the new trick learned by the twins, the whole family moved to the living room. There was whiskey for everyone except Sam, Tish and Jess. Cas offered them tea instead.

 

“We have a lot of planning to do this weekend,” said Sam after taking a sip of his drink,

 

“Maybe we should talk about the wedding today, tomorrow is going to be a hard day guys,” suggested Bobby,

 

“At what time are we meeting tomorrow?” asked Dean,

 

“3 pm… we’ll have to sign a lot of stuff and it’s probably gonna suck,” said Sam. Cas looked at Tegan who was sitting between Chuck and Gabe,

 

“Can we talk about this later? Let’s talk about the wedding now, while the kids are still awake,”

 

“When are you getting married?” asked Tegan,

 

“Well, we’ve decided it needs to be during Christmas break… we were thinking about the 29th? We’ll spend our honeymoon celebrating the New Year,” said Jody,

 

“Sounds great,” said Sam,

 

“Who’s gonna walk you to the aisle?” asked Tegan,

 

“That’s a really interesting question sweetheart… given that by marrying your grandpa Bobby now I’m gonna have 4 sons and two daughters,” said Jody,

 

“But grandpa Bobby only has 2 sons,” said Tegan,

 

“Cas and Gabe are like his sons too sweetie and they’re really important to me too… and then of course I can’t forget about Charlie and Jess,” said Jody,

 

“Oh,” said Tegs,

 

“So I was thinking… Dean and Sam can walk Bobby and then Cas and Gabe can walk me… you girls are gonna be my bridesmaids and we don’t want a fancy wedding, really. A simple ceremony with our closest friends and family,” explained Jody.

 

“We’re gonna walk you to the aisle old man!” said Dean to his uncle,

 

“I probably should only ask Sam… you didn’t even invite me to your wedding,” said Bobby,

 

“We didn’t invite anyone,” said Dean,

 

“Why?” asked Tegan,

 

“We married in secret while we were in New York; there was a welcome party for us here at the house and then we informed everyone that we were husbands,” said Cas,

 

“That’s silly… so were you like alone with the priest in the church?” asked Tegan. Sam cleared his throat,

 

“We didn’t got married by a priest Teg… it was by a judge,” said Cas. Tegan looked confused,

 

“We’ll explain it to you later,” said Dean. Tegan nodded.

 

“I’m so happy for you two… and I want to help you with everything!” said Charlie, “well, of course if you want my help,” she added,

 

“You know we do honey,” said Jody,

 

“So, we need to talk about the cake,” said Gabe,

 

“Yeah, we need to talk about the cake,” added Dorothy.

 

“This should prove to be interesting”, said Chuck looking at his son and Dorothy.

 

“Before you start arguing, both of you are working on the cake together or I swear we’ll hire someone else,” said Jody. Gabe blinked a couple of times,

 

“Fine,” he said, crossing his arms,

 

“Fine,” repeated Dorothy with a smirk.

 

“Oh, guys… you killed the fun; I wanted to see them argue or something,” said Dean. Cas rolled his eyes,

 

“No, and I want you all to hear this… I don’t want anyone fighting or getting upset while we’re planning this thing okay?” said Jody, “we really just want something simple, understood?” she asked,

 

“Yes ma’am,” said Dean.

 

They spent another half an hour talking about the wedding but eventually they had to stop to take the kids to bed,

 

“Need help?” asked Gabe,

 

“No, we’re cool… guess you guy are skipping bath time tonight, say goodnight,” said Dean lifting Alan and Leonard from the couch,

 

“Good night everybody, see you tomorrow,” said Tegan. Cas held her hand,

 

“C’mon… go get ready for bed and brush your teeth while we take care of the twins, okay?” said Cas. Tegan nodded and ran towards the stairs.

 

“Don’t run!” said Cas.

* * *

 

“Did you enjoy the day Tegs?” asked Dean while sitting on the bed.

“Yeah,” she said with a yawn, “I liked spending time with grandpa Chuck and I liked the food and being with my family,” she said,

 

“Oh, you didn’t get to tell us about your day with your grandpa,” said Cas,

 

“It was nice, we went to visit mom and dad and grandpa Chuck told me about Owen, grandma Jody’s son,” she said,

 

“Oh, he did,” said Cas,

 

“Yeah… we talked about a lot of things,” she said.

 

“That’s nice sweetie, your grandpa loves you a lot,” said Dean,

 

“Can I ask you something?” she whispered,

 

“Yeah, what’s up?” asked Dean,

 

“Why don’t you go to church?” she asked,

 

“Oh,” Cas and Dean looked at each other in the eye,

 

“Well… we’re not- I don’t… a little help here Cas,” said Dean,

 

“Tegan,” said Cas, “My mother was a religious woman, she loved church and she made us go all the time and I wasn’t a big fan to be honest… I guess when I grew up and had the freedom to make my own decisions I just stopped going to church,” he explained,

 

“And you uncle Dean?” she asked,

 

“My dad never took me to church and Bobby was always busy working and I don’t know… we just didn’t make it part of our lives,” said Dean.

 

They weren’t ready to have that kind of conversation with Tegan. The truth was that Cas hated church, it reminded him of his mother and of growing up afraid of a punishing God… he wasn’t sure if he actually believed in a God.

 

Dean was an atheist; he could still remember all the times he asked “why?” to God after his mom died. Every time he prayed to God that his dad could stop drinking… that John could go back to being normal and happy. God never answered.

 

“Do you want to go to church?” asked Cas,

 

“I don’t know… will I go to hell if I stop going?” she asked,

 

“No Tegan, you don’t need to go to Church to prove that you’re a good person,” said Cas, “we don’t go and we’re good, right?”

 

“Yeah, you really are,” she said,

 

“Think about it kiddo, we can go sometimes… we know you had your traditions and routines with your parents, we don’t want to take that from you,” said Dean.

 

“Thanks, I’ll think about it,” she said with another yawn,

 

“You should sleep Tegan, it’s been a long day,” said Cas. They kissed her good night and after turning on her nightlight they left the room.

 

* * *

 

 

“What took you so long?” asked Gabe when his brother and Dean rejoined them in the living room,

 

“We have three kids, Gabriel… we need to get each of them ready for bed,” said Cas,

 

“Fair point,” said Gabe. Dean sighed, he poured himself a whiskey and took a seat next to his husband,

 

“Are you okay?” asked Sam,

 

“Chuck, what exactly did you talk about with Tegan today?” asked Dean,

 

“A lot of things, we spent half of the day together, why?” asked Chuck,

 

“She just asked us about our religious habits,” replied Cas,

 

“Oh… yeah, she asked me about that too,” said Chuck,

 

“What did she ask?” Sam was a little confused,

 

“She wanted to know why Cas and Dean never go to church,” answered Chuck,

 

“Oh… that’s an interesting question,” said Sam, “what did you tell her?” he asked,

 

“Well, we weren’t ready for that kind of question… Cas told her that he stopped going after his mom left because he didn’t like to go that much and I told her that Bobby never took us to church so I’m not used to it; then we offered to take her to church sometimes if she wants, we want to respect her beliefs,”

 

“Was that a good answer? Fuck… this just made me realize that we’re going to have a lot of different talks with her and the boys,” said Cas trying not to panic.

 

“Welcome to having kids, son,” said Bobby chuckling. Gabe started laughing,

 

“What?” asked Dean,

 

“I don’t know man, isn’t it gonna be weird when her two gay dads take her to church? Do they even allow that?” asked Gabriel,

 

“I have no idea and now I have to find a church in this city that won’t judge us for our preferences,” said Cas.

 

“I’m not gay by the way,” said Dean. Sam snorted,

 

“What?” asked Chuck,

 

“Gabe said ‘her two gay dads’, I’m not gay, I’m bisexual Gabriel,” said Dean,

 

“You scared me for a moment Dean-O,” said Gabe, “sorry, her gay dad and her bisexual dad,” he corrected himself.

 

“That’s another interesting conversation waiting to happen right there,” said Bobby,

 

“Is there like a list of al the talks we’ll need to have with them?” asked Dean,

 

“Oh boy, Tegan is only 5, the boys can barely eat with a spoon without making a mess… you shouldn’t worry about that yet,” answered Bobby,

 

“I guess you’re right,” replied Dean.

 

“Okay guys, this is an interesting talk and everything but we need to discuss what’s gonna happen tomorrow,” said Sam,

 

“Jesus,” whispered Chuck.

 

“So, all of the people in Mike and Jill’s wills are in this room… well most of them, I had to notify Naomi,” started Sam,

 

“Oh, man,” said Gabe,

 

“Dude, I know… alright? It’s not gonna be easy and it’s not gonna be pretty but she has to be here. Are you sure Cas that you have no problem with us reading the wills here?” asked Sam,

 

“I have a feeling that it’s gonna take a lot, emotionally and mentally from me, I would appreciate if it could be in an environment that I’m comfortable with,” said Cas. Dean pulled him softly towards him and kissed his cheek.

 

“That’s okay son,” said Chuck,

 

“So, 3 pm tomorrow,” said Charlie,

 

“Yeah,” said Sam,

 

“Wait, what about the kids?” asked Jody,

 

“Well they have to be here for the reading, I mean most of the stuff were left to them,” said Sam,

 

“I don’t want Naomi getting close to them,” said Cas,

 

“And I’m pretty sure she’s gonna want to argue some stuff after you read the will,” said Gabe,

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure about it,” said Cas,

 

“I’ll take them,” said Dorothy, “after the reading I’ll take them to the park or to the movies or whatever; just, you know? Away from here and from the arguing and all that,” she offered,

 

“Are you sure?” asked Dean,

 

“Yeah, you guys can take all the time you need and then we’ll come back and we’ll have dinner together,

 

“I can help you, I mean, if you guys don’t mind,” offered Tish,

 

“That’s actually a great idea,” said Dean,

 

“That’s perfect, thank you,” added Cas.

 

“Well, that’s settled then,” said Bobby,

 

“We should go, tomorrow’s gonna be a hard day and we could all use some rest,” said Jody,

 

“Thanks for coming guys,” said Dean standing up.

 

Everyone hugged and said goodbye; Dean made sure to send them home with leftovers from dinner of course.

 

After everyone left and Dean, Sam, Jess and Cas finished cleaning the kitchen they decided to call it a night,

 

“Me feet are swollen,” declared Jess,

 

“That’s pretty common during pregnancy, you need to rest and lift your feet,” said Cas,

 

“It’s the first time that it happens, Jesus… I’m not even showing yet and my freaking feet are swollen,” she said in disbelief,

 

“I’ll give you a massage,” offered Sam,

 

“Of course you will Sam, you freaking did this to me,” she said sounding upset; Dean snorted,

 

“C’mon, let’s go to bed,” said Sam sounding apologetic,

 

“Good night guys,” said Dean,

 

“Night, see you tomorrow,” said Sam following Jess.

 

"Well, let's go to bed," said Dean turning around and walking towards his husband. 

 

Castiel hugged him and buried his face in Dean's chest, 

 

"Today wasn't as sad as I thought it would be," whispered Dean. Cas raised his head and looked at his husband in the eye,

 

"Add that to the list of stuff I'm thankful for," said Cas. Dean chuckled,

 

"Thanks for being the way you are babe," whispered Dean before kissing Cas' forehead,

 

"Thanks for always being here Dean," replied Castiel with a soft smile.

 

* * *

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it and that I can find the motivation to keep writing.
> 
> Also, I've received a few messages complaining about my fics and how the dynamics of the characters work... People saying stuff like "I don't like fics that show Dean this way or Cas on that way". I would like to say to that people that if you don't like how I write or the way I represent this characters then you can feel free to stop reading, I'm not forcing you to stay here and if this isn't your kind of thing i'm pretty sure you can find something you like in this amazing website. 
> 
> Anyway, have a nice week guys! :)


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